It's called desire
by Hurricane1992
Summary: Events snowballing into each other have Harry, Draco, and Hermione all living together under one roof. How will their feelings towards themselves and each other change as this new trio prepare to revisit the Battleground of Hogwarts for their 8th year? EWE,Rated M for later, fluff warning.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First story ever, I hope you like it.**

**Harry Potter moves Draco Malfoy into**

**Grimmauld Place with him after the Battle of Hogwarts.**

**Hermione gets some devastating news and moves in with them.**

**Draco is very in touch with his desires and is very happy to **

**introduce Harry and Hermione theirs.**

**Pairings: Draco/Harry**

**Later Pairings: Draco/Hermione/Harry**

**I do not own Harry Potter and am not JK Rowling.**

Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy was standing in the kitchen at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, giving instructions to Kreacher on the precise preparation of the dinner he had ordered for himself and Potter for later that night. He heard the fire in the study flare loudly, announcing that someone was about to floo into the house. A quick check to his watch showed it was much earlier than the _late evening_ that Potter had said it would be before he got home. Turning with a swirl of robe, he started for the study.

Stepping through the doorway from the hall, he stopped, shocked to see Hermione Granger stagger out of the fireplace. He must have made some sort of noise because a startled Granger grabbed her wand and aimed it at him. She stood up straight, and braced herself in the classic dueling position taught to all of the students of their year by Professor Lockhart. Her wand hand was trembling and there were tear stains on her face. Draco walked slowly two or three steps toward the trembling girl with his arms down at his sides and his palms pointed up, in the universal show of not being armed and not intending any harm. This wasn't the first time he'd been at the receiving end of her wand.

_Just like old times _

Draco felt very uncomfortable standing there in front of a clearly upset girl, wearing just trousers and an open robe. No wand, no shirt, barefoot. Neither of them said anything, just stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time, but was probably just a few seconds.

Draco licked his lips to start a hello when, suddenly, she dropped her wand, walked quickly across the room, and threw her arms around the tall blonde- all but collapsing in his arms- crying with despair. He still held his arms to his side not knowing just what was expected of him. Who was this, and what had they done with Granger?

Painfully aware that he was probably the last person she would want to see her in this condition, let alone allow to comfort her, he quickly looked around the room in a stupid gesture to make sure they were unseen and alone - lest someone see her vulnerable. Some things had changed for the two of them, hell, all of them had been changing lately, but he didn't think that they were ready for this. This was so out of the realm of what a Slytherin would be prepared for. It is unthinkable to lower your guard and let your enemy see you weak; he really had no idea what to do. Pansy would never have let go of her wand in this situation. Draco wasn't sure she even let it go in the shower.

"Granger," he said.

"Mmoph ah ah 'hic' Rooonnnnnnnnn!" she mumbled into his chest. Her voice and breath hitching as she tried to talk and breathe.

"Shhhhhhhh," he said, "It's okay."

He moved his hands up slowly, and attempted to comfort the girl, but was very awkward as he patted her back in a gesture he had seen others doing when consoling someone.

"Noooooo it'ssssss noooooot!" She wailed while circling her arms around Draco's bare chest and splaying her hands on his back, squeezing him tighter. He tried to shuffle them sideways to the sofa, but Granger seemed to just collapse. He stiffened quickly and grabbed her to him with his arms around her.

"Hell with it," he muttered. Draco then bent and put his arm under the back of her knees and swept her into his arms. He walked them to the sofa and sat down with the hysterically crying Granger on his lap. She curled up into his lap, and moved her right hand to the front of his chest, clenching it and a few of his hairs. Her shoulders were moving up and down as she sobbed, pulling the hair with each little movement. He moved his hand to hers, flattening her hand just a little to get her to release her grip, which seemed to make her wail even more.

Draco squirmed around under his burden to get the charmed galleon that Potter had given him about two weeks ago so that he would have a quick way to communicate should there be an emergency. He worked his wand out of his robe pocket and sent a message to Potter.

_Hysterical Granger in my arms!_

Potter had gone to St. Mungo's Hospital to be with the Weasley family today. Bill had taken a curse aimed at Fred, and was currently at the hospital fighting for his life. His werewolf bite had given him more strength than that of the average human and had kept him alive when a human would not have survived; but the bite was also negating everything the Healers tried to reverse the damage done by the curse. Everything had been touch and go since the Battle of Hogwarts. No one knew if he would pull through but hopes were lifted higher each day that he lived.

Laying the galleon and his wand at his thigh, he adjusted his legs under his burden to await a reply. Sinking a hand into her hair to shift her head to a more comfortable position rewarded him with a waft of honeysuckle. He took a deep breath of his favorite fragrance and smiled, moving his hand deeper into her hair and leaning down a bit to get a better whiff, finding that the more he petted the sobbing girl, the more scent was released.

While moving his hand around in her hair, he noted that it didn't feel like he had always thought it would. He had always thought it would feel stiff and wiry, but it was soft and silky, and her curls gripped his fingers as if they didn't want him to move his hand away.

He felt a tiny vibration from the coin lying on the sofa beside him.

_Keep her there, I'll explain later!_

Draco settled down into the soft sofa to wait for Potter to show up, slowly rubbing her head with his right hand, hitching her legs up closer to him with his left, leaving his hand to rest on her leg. He leaned his head back on the sofa, closing his eyes, enjoying the first actual human contact, and the closest thing he had had to an embrace, since The Battle of Hogwarts a month ago when his parents hugged him to them after finding him in the rubble of the school.

Draco felt a lightness he hadn't felt since his third hear at Hogwarts. He was no longer worried where he fit in this world. He felt he now had a reason to have hope for a future in the new world that this girl and her friends helped bring about. He let his head fall to the back of the sofa, closed his eyes and let his mind wander to how he had come to be staying with Potter, smiling to himself, breathing deeply of honeysuckle, and relaxed in the embrace of the warm young woman hiccupping and trembling in his arms.

Who knew Potter would stand up for before The Wizengamot and testify in his and his mother's defense? The Boy Who Wouldn't Die argued long and hard in his testimony to sway the witches who would decide their fate. Granger and Weasley stood by his side, everyone that was left of the Order of the Phoenix lined up behind them, in a united show that had confused and humbled the proud young man standing with resolve to hear his sentence. There was a very short deliberation by the judges before Lucius was sentenced to Azkaban for life. Narcissa collapsed into a hysterical heap beside her son. A frail looking woman walked slowly to her and kneeled down beside her, drawing his mother into her arms. She shared a strong resemblance to Bellatrix, but was softer somehow. Draco correctly assumed this to be his Aunt Andromeda.

He had hardly heard when the inquisitor cleared all charges against him, and sentenced Narcissa to house arrest. There were some more words spoken by the Malfoy Arguer, Andromeda, Potter and the Wizengamot, but all he could hear was faint buzzing and ringing to go along with the numbness in his heart, hands and feet.

Draco registered that several wizards escorted a frail Lucius Malfoy out of the court room. Narcissa was helped to her feet by Andromeda and a vaguely familiar looking ginger-haired man, and after a slight trembling hug to her son, was also escorted from the room.

Still staring stoically in front of the witches and wizards, he did not move until Potter had taken his arm and said that Draco was to follow him. He led them out of the courtroom, and through the ministry. Walking through the corridors of the ministry of magic to get to the floo's, Draco raised his head in a proud fashion and fixed his usual sneer on his face. The plebian masses would not get a look at a defeated Malfoy as long as he lived- at least not _this_ Malfoy.

"Good for you Malfoy," Scarhead said, steering them to one of the fireplaces along the wall. Draco almost stumbled he was so shocked.

Potter had floo'ed them to Grimmauld Place, installed Draco in a bedroom, and told him dinner was at 6. That was it. No judgment. No snarky comment. No long lecture on good vs. evil. No gloating. Nothing. Just dinner is at 6. With that, Potter turned, and walked back down the hallway that they had just come down.

At dinner that night Draco had been filled in on the day's proceedings. His mother was sentenced to house arrest for three years, and Andromeda had begged the Wizengamot to allow her to serve her time with her and her grandson Teddy Lupin. Andromeda wanted to mend the rift between the sisters, and this was the perfect opportunity. The judges had agreed but were concerned about where Draco would go; no one felt going back to the Manor, alone would be good for anyone. Left to his own devices, the Malfoy heir could get into all kinds of mischief. Then Potter had spoken up, saying that since they were both legal adults, Draco could stay with him in his home. The Order backed him up, and that had been that.

Did they really think that there would be no mischief around the Bloody Savior of the World? The little prat and his cohorts got into more mischief than all the students at Hogwarts combined in the last seven years! They actually thought that Draco would be _safe_ with this lot? The Terrible Trio was probably planning all sorts of revenge on him, he had thought.

No one even asked Draco what he wanted to do. Never mind that he had almost been catatonic and wouldn't have been able to form a response anyway. So he and Potter had settled in the house together in an unspoken truce. Neither of them, it seemed, wanted to bring up or talk about anything that had happened in the last seven years. The only bickering was between Potter and a shrew of a portrait that was curtained at the end of the hallway. Draco got the impression that Scar-head enjoyed these salvos with too much glee judging by the big smile on his face and self-important strut as he left a sputtering portrait behind him, Add to the fact, Harry was the one who had initiated the argument in the first place; Draco surmised that the boy wonder just couldn't handle too much peace and quiet in his life.

In the last month everyone who was left of the Order had come and gone from the home on Grimmauld Place. Everyone had seen him here, knew he was alone _and in his mind in disgrace_, but no one said a thing about it. Nothing. Acted as if he had always been there and belonged. He wasn't ostracized. He was included in conversations. If something came up that he would know the answer to, they asked his opinion.

He kept waiting for the axe to fall and for someone to notice the tall blonde elephant in the room and bring up all of the horrid things he had done and said in the past seven years, and condemn him, but it never happened.

The only person who even mentioned the past was Luna Lovegood. She had come to the house about three weeks ago, still bruised and scabby from the final battle. Draco had given her a polite hello, and then moved to make an awkward escape from the kitchen where all the visitors that day were gathered.

"Draco, I wanted to talk to you about Malfoy Manor," she called. He stopped and turned around to accept his fate. He stood with his hands clenched at his side. Draco had been waiting for this; he'd been going over and over an apology in his head. He had seven years' worth of apologies running around his head. Pride is so very hard to swallow, and Malfoys' were born with an overabundance of it. But he knew he would swallow it and apologize. He really was sorry for almost everything he ever said and did to them. Everyone except- the Weasel- he just didn't like the red headed toad. A year ago, in this same situation, his wand would have been palmed and aimed, before he even turned around. But things had changed since then.

"Draco", she said again, and he met her eyes. "I noticed that The Manor had quite an infestation of Nargles the last time I was there, and if you wanted, I could come with you sometime to help you relocate them to a lovely tree where they would be less likely to cause mischief."

All conversation in the room stopped and every eye in the house seemed to be staring at him, waiting for his reply. This is it, he thought, this is where they attack. The cat is out of the green and silver bag. Someone finally noticed the ex-Death Eater in the room.

"Luna is very fond of Nargles, Draco, and it makes her happy when she knows they are in a happy place," Neville Longbottom added to Luna's comment. They both looked at him with a twinkle of merriment in their eyes.

"I...er…Thank you, Luna. I think that would be a lovely idea," Draco said, completely flummoxed. That said, the room got noisy with chatter again and Luna and Longbottom nodded their heads as if to say to all gathered that that was that. Draco straightened his back, raised his white head and walked with tentative pride from the room.

He hadn't been afraid of condemnation since. Draco didn't know what Potter had told all these people to make them accept him like they had and he knew that he didn't deserve their forgiveness. It was strange to have this feeling of acceptance laced with his guilt. It was very hard to keep up his proud undefeated façade around these forgiving happy people. They were Gryffindors to the nth degree.

The first time Granger tried to hug him hello, he tripped over his feet backing away, landing in a heap under one of the curtained portraits. The shrieking and yelling from behind the curtain drew everyone from the rest of the house to see what was going on and he found himself very embarrassed to be in such a position. The girl laughed at him, bringing back memories of Hogwarts. Puffing out his chest to snap out some scything remark, he went into a mild shock as the she giggled more, grabbed his arms, and proceeded to swat his backside dusting him off and making a big to do over his fall.

Most of his Slytherin house mates had taken years to warm up to the aloof blonde, and he didn't know just what to make of these Gryffindorks. Did they not know he was the Malfoy Heir? He was to be treated with reverence. Not manhandled and dusted off like a dropped coat. One did not simply haul up on a Malfoy and pat his behind with a giggle. But that was the thing- they did know, they just didn't give a damn. It seemed that with the end of The Dark Lord, all hostility had ended. People just didn't care enough over silly things that no longer mattered to tire themselves with a fight about it. No one wanted to fight anymore. Himself included.

As Draco lifted his bottom off the sofa to adjust his seat, Granger shuddered, lifted her head, and looked at him with the most defeated look he had ever seen from her. She then lowered her head into the notch at his neck, took a deep shuddering breath, blew her sweet warm breath across his Adam's apple and fell to sleep.

What could possibly have happened to have this brave girl turn to a puddle of goo in his arms? He had watched the "Golden Trio" fight that last battle at Hogwarts, and didn't think there was anything in the world that would make Granger curl up in _his_ lap and surrender. At least the sobbing had ended. All that was left was the occasional catch in her breath as she inhaled. He let the steady rhythm of her breathing, the warmth of her embrace, and her wonderful scent, lull him into a blissful slumber.

The flaring of the fireplace startled Draco from a sound sleep. Quickly grabbing the wand at his thigh he cast a silencing spell at the sleeping girl still curled up in his lap. He didn't know why he used the one that was normally reserved for sleeping children- perhaps it was because he was still worried about people doubting him and questioning his actions. The light that announces to the world exactly what spell had been cast would leave no room for doubt- as long as that person had a working knowledge of nursery charms.

Seeing the bright pink light engulfing Hermione in the lap of Draco Malfoy, Ginny drew her wand and screeched as she came out of the fireplace in a rage. She aimed her wand at the filthy Slytherin holding Hermione.

"You despicable pig! What are you doing!" The youngest Weasley screamed. Ginny drew a deep breath, threw her wand arm forward and her left arm back and up in the air. "_Cruc-_"

Appearing in the fireplace directly behind Ginny was Harry. Seeing what his ex-girlfriend was about to do, he shoved with all his might on her back, knocking her to the floor and stopping the Unforgivable Curse she was about to cast. Harry fell on top of Ginny and wrestled with her for the wand.

"He's jinxed her! Get off me; I'm going to kill him. I knew we couldn't trust him! **You** told us to trust him. **You** told us that he had changed. He hasn't. He's still a Fucking **Death Eater**!"

"Stop it Ginny!" Harry yelled, still wrestling with the red headed witch. "It was pink! The light around her was pink! Think for a moment! Where else have you seen someone sleeping while covered in a pink light? It's the same charm that Andromeda and I use on Teddy! It's just a silencing charm so that we don't wake her up!"

Ginny froze when Harry's hand clamped down on her right wrist pinning it to the ground and his other hand covered her mouth. His body was sprawled on top of the frantic girl effectively stopping her struggle.

Ginny glared at Harry who was still on top of her. "Mmm hmfnm," she mouthed under his hand. He moved his hand from her mouth and gripped her other wrist with it to keep her from punching him. She grew up with six older brothers, two of which were the Dangerous Duo: Fred and George who thought it great fun to show her how to defend herself, and Harry knew she was capable of anything. He shoved his legs between hers so that she couldn't get a knee up to smash his balls.

"All right then?" He asked her. She nodded. "Give me the wand."

"Like HELL I will! He is not to be trusted. He is still a lying stinking Malfoy and I hate him!"

"Come on Gin. You see she is fine. She is sleeping in his lap. He hasn't hurt her. I told you she was fine. Now give me the wand," He cajoled.

Ginny nodded her head in agreement and released the grip on her wand. It rolled slightly away from her enough that Harry could snatch it before she changed her mind. He jumped quickly to his feet and walked a few steps closer to the blonde on the couch. Still not turning his back on his ex- girlfriend he placed himself between her and the two people on the couch.

"I promise she is fine. You have seen her. I promise to tell her that you were here to check on her. Your family needs you. Go home. You need to be with your mum and dad now. We'll come see you in the morning," He pled.

She nodded her head and stood to walk over to the fireplace, reached into the pot of floo powder beside the hearth. Looking at Harry she asked "May I have my wand back?"

"Do you promise to leave and not try anything? I mean it Gin. You have to go home now." She nodded her head turned to the fireplace and reached back toward Harry for her wand. He moved to her and gave her a hug, whispering something to her then placed the wand in her hand.

She threw the powder in the fireplace stepping into it after it roared and disappeared. Harry brushed his hands on his trousers a couple of times then moved his hand up to his hair in a nervous gesture as he turned around to face Draco.

"I'm sorry about that mate," He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "She has a bit of a temper," he chuckled.

Draco just sat glaring at Harry. Harry walked over to sit on the table directly across from the two people on the couch. Elbows to knees, he sagged with his head down and his hands clasped in front of him. "What a day," he said.

Draco clasped the girl a little tighter to him, to assure himself that she had not been disturbed then asked "Just what the bloody hell is going on?"

Harry ran his hand through his unruly mop of hair again and took a deep breath. "Everyone was exhausted from sitting at the hospital all day. Molly and Arthur were at wit's end not knowing whether to have everyone stay there or send us home. We were all snapping at each other and the tension was getting unbearable. Fleur said that she had had it with all the negativity in the room and told everyone that we had to leave at once," he explained. "We all filed quietly out of the room and just sort of milled around outside the door. After a while Fred and George went to the loo and Charlie went to get some coffee for everyone. Percy had moved further down the hall and had collapsed to the floor crying." Harry looked up into Draco's grey eyes, and with a weary sigh and a deep breath, continued.

"Fleur screamed and Ron took off quickly into the room…Hermione and me right behind him. When we came around the door, Ron was laying on his back on top of Bills legs, and Fleur had her mouth at his neck sucking from a gash."

"Oh Fuck!" Draco said. Immediately understanding what had happened.

"Oh Fuck is right. Bill died and Fleur immediately transferred her bond to Ron. She had no choice."

"Did anyone know she was pregnant?" Draco asked.

"You know about Veela? How do you know about Veela?" Harry asked suspiciously. "You know you are quite blonde…"

Draco blanched, "I'm not a Fucking Veela! What is it with people? A bloke happens to be absolutely gorgeous with a bit of light hair and you all go mental." He drew a deep breath, looked at Potter and rolled his eyes, "I read all about Veela and their mating habits in fourth year when I, briefly, was enamored with the idea of asking Fleur to the Yule Ball. After researching the subject I knew that it was not for me."

"Riiight," Harry said. "Well then as you know, after bonding their life force to one another, if one mate dies the other follows immediately unless the female is pregnant. She then has ten heartbeats to re-bond with a direct member of the man's family. Ron was the first one in. They are now mated for life."

"No wonder Granger was so upset when she came through the floo." The blonde said. "Speaking of the floo…why not shut it down for the night just in case the red headed cyclone decides to come back and finish the spell she tried to cast earlier."

"Good idea," Harry said. "I wouldn't have thought of that" he said, getting up to cast the closing spells on the floo network.

"Yes, well, that termagant wasn't aiming her wand at you"

.

"She really wouldn't have..."

"Yes she would!" he interrupted, "She almost said it and she meant it. You have to really mean it for it to work and she meant it all right. Do you know what it would have done to my reputation to have been killed whilst sitting in Potty's study half naked, my wand in my pocket and a sleeping Gryffindor in my lap? Unbelievable." He shook his head.

Draco watched as Harry stood up from the table and stretched his back and arms walking around the garishly furnished room for a couple of circuits seemingly lost in thought. The only sounds were muffled footsteps and breathing. He waved his hand in a circle above his head in a negligent fashion and lit all of the candles that were set out casting the room in a lighter soft glow. When had the light faded? And Merlin's beard! He just lit all of those candles wordlessly without a wand? Draco froze his features so that Harry wouldn't see his shock at what he had done. Harry walked to the other end of the sofa and settled his back to the arm sitting down and facing the man on the other end of the couch.

"You know Draco, you have been staying here almost a month, we eat almost all of our meals together and are, for the most part, together 24 hours a day. We have known each other almost eight years. Shouldn't we be on a first name basis?"

Grey eyes bored into Green for a while, eventually Draco said, "I suppose as you have installed me as your pseudo chatelaine we could attempt a first name relationship."

"Erm.. my what?"

"Chatelaine," Draco rolled his eyes and taking a deep breath went on to explain, "A chatelaine is the female servant of a bachelor lord, who oversees the running of the house. The chatelaine is charged with keeping the household staff in line, orders the meals that are to be prepared and insures the comfort of the Lord and his guests. The chatelaine is also in charge of the expenses of the household under the budget the lord has set."

"When did I do that? You are not here as a servant Draco. I never intended for you to be here as a servant. You certainly aren't female. You are my guest." _Although, you would look hilarious in a French maid's uniform_. Harry thought to himself_. _"You once offered me friendship and I turned you down. I've given it a lot of thought in the last couple of years and I swore to myself that if I were ever in a position to, that I would return your offer of friendship. It's why I asked the Wizengamot to let you stay here with me. I'm hoping that we can start over."

"Friendship?" Draco asked, "You want to be friends with me after all of the things I did to you? Said to you? The names I called you and her," gesturing to the girl in his lap, "and the Weasel?" Draco shook his head and gave a soft chuckle. "You are such a Gryffindor…..Harry." Draco tilted his head in acknowledgement as he said Harry. "No, you didn't say I was here as a servant per-se, but I just assumed the role. Kreacher came to me a few minutes after you installed me in my bedroom and welcomed me _home_ to: 'The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," he smiled, "I thought the Malfoy house elves were formal, they have nothing on Kreacher. He then asked me what to prepare for dinner. I gave him instruction that first time and he has been coming to me ever since. The rest of the elves get their orders from Kreacher."

"The rest of the elves? I only have the one…Don't I?"

"You have only Kreacher here. I don't know what you have at the other Black houses. I expect you have the normal three at each of the other estates. I brought two of the Malfoy elves here, and sent two to my mother and Andromeda. There is no one at the manor, and they get lonely and self-destructive if left alone too long. I didn't think you would mind. I've ordered Black livery for Boni and Trix and it should be arriving soon, but I haven't been able to force them to accept a salary. I doubt I ever will. I have told them to keep to the basement area where the potions room and the laundry are located. They have strict instructions to never be seen by Hermione. Really it's a kindness to them to have something to do Pot….er…Harry."

"No, you are right, I just didn't think about the elves. They are welcome here and don't have to stay in the basement. Hermione will just have to understand that they are better off here than alone. She is smart. She should understand that." Harry looked at Draco and asked, "Livery?"

"Clothes, Harry. Livery is the term for the Black family uniform for household staff. I've freed my elves and they just about killed themselves over it. The only way they would stop banging their heads against the floor was to promise them that they could stay here with you. They did not agree with Dobby and his ways, but knew that he was happy where you were and they trust that you will let them take care of you like he did. I assumed that you had freed Kreacher as well as he was wearing a locket. So I ordered him a uniform too."

"Thank you for stepping in and taking care of things. I really had no idea that someone had to make these decisions. Kreacher and I have come to an understanding and since last year he has been cleaning and preparing better meals, but now that you mention it, the food has been wonderful lately and I have noticed things have been cleaner than ever. Smell better too. Did you buy new sheets?"

"You are welcome." Draco said with a nod to the affirmative.

"You are not here as a servant Draco. I appreciate that you stepped up and did what needed to be done, but now that I am aware that these things need to be seen to I'll start making the decisions. Unless you enjoy doing this, then you have my blessing to see to it."

"I think that unless we want anarchy to reign, I'll continue giving instruction to the elves and taking care of your mundane chores. If I don't, we'll probably have ham sandwiches and crisps three meals a day till we return to Hogwarts."

"What's wrong with that?' Harry smiled.

"Peasant." Draco sneered.

Harry smiled at Draco and waved in a royal way, slowly with the back of his hand as he has seen Queen Elizabeth do on the telly one time.

"You jest Harry, but you are damn near royalty now. You should get used to that wave."

"This will all blow over once they quit writing about it in the Prophet. I'll do something stupid soon and then Skeeter will put it all over the front page and then everyone can go back to hating me and calling me names."

"Do you really have no idea what has happened to you?" At Harry's blank stare, Draco leveled a serious look at him and began to explain.

"First, you are the savior of the Wizard world. Everyone had their hopes pinned on you, and you fulfilled. Second, I don't know if you know it or not, but your magic is second only to the Dark Lord and Professor Dumbledore in power. Scratch that. Your magic no longer has competition. You have the most magical power of any wizard we know of. You hide your power well; it has taken me till just this week to realize that you are hiding it on purpose. Third, one of the greatest titles and fortunes in England has fallen into your lap. Lord Black surpasses almost every title of the wizard realm. Fourth, your political clout is unsurpassed. I doubt there is any request no matter how outlandish that the Ministry wouldn't acquiesce to. You could either become the next Minister of Magic, or with your backing you and support, your candidate would win in a landslide. Fifth, your looks have every girl in Hogwarts swooning for you to give them a glance. If I have to hear one more time about your 'devastatingly handsome good looks and magnificent green eyes' I might puke. You are the five golden rings of legend."

"Thank Salazar for Parkinson. I know you don't like her, and she truly turned out to be a rank bitch, but as she was the only girl that I know who couldn't stand to look at you, I at least didn't have to hear about your good looks all day every day. She thought _I_ was the best looking thing in manly robes. You are hell on an ego. I don't know how the Weasel could stand being seen next to you for seven years."

"Awwwww you think I'm pretty Draco?" Harry teased and batted his eyelashes.

"I didn't say that I thought you were good looking, Potter just that almost every girl at Hogwarts thought you were. You are a parent's wet dream. I don't envy you that a bit. Good luck to you. Cheers." He said with a mock raised goblet.

"How so?" Harry asked with a grimace.

"You are officially The Most Eligible Bachelor in the realm. Parents of every young witch and I dare say young wizard, are looking to make the best match possible for their children. I don't know too much about how the other parents arrange marriages, but pure blood families look at all of the things I just mentioned and weigh whether or not they have enough to be appealing to the possible match. It's not about whether or not the children will suit; it's about whether or not it is a good match."

"Wizards? When did they turn me gay?"

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, "It's not all about sex, Harry. Alliances are about power. A powerful alliance is more important in the scheme of things. I have known of two marriages of 'non intimate life partners'. Their parents made a contract when they were born and they knew as they grew up whom they would marry. They fulfilled their contract and had concubines for their baser needs. If concubines weren't needed, then a 'gay' couple could use a surrogate to continue the line." He finished.

"I think this is the one and only time I might be glad that I'm an orphan," Harry said with a slight smile. "I've had marriage proposals by owl, but I usually just burn them as they come in thinking they were sent by some kind of escapee from the mental ward," he chuckled. "I don't know if I have ever had a true marriage proposal."

"You have, I overheard my parent's talking more than once and they said that if it weren't for your

'Unfortunate' political leanings, and the fact that you and I didn't get on, we would be a great match. Your power was like a drug to them, they wanted it badly. I found an old contract in the library two years ago; it seems my parents sent your parents an offer when we were babies, and as James and Lily hadn't said 'no' before they died, I was instructed to befriend you when I met you. I would have tried anyway as it turns out, I was drawn to you as nearly everyone is, but you turned me down. Later when they heard about my little dalliance with Blaise in fifth year, and, as you hadn't paired off with any special girl, they actually approached me to try to offer my hand and other things to you. I think had you given me any encouragement at all, they would have switched sides to you long ago" Draco grimaced at Harrys indrawn breath and "Fucking Hell!"

"Your eloquence knows no bounds…_Harry_." Draco smirked and blew him a kiss.

"Call me Potty. New rule, if there is ever talk of marriage between you and me; you are to call me Potty." Harry said as he turned his head to the left to stare at the portrait of Sirius'great great great grandmother Ursula and blushed when she winked at him and rolled her shoulder in a come-hither way. "And we are never to talk about marriage between you and me again, "Bloody Hell."

Harry turned back to face Draco after giving his blush sufficient time to cool. "We kind of heard whisperings about you two, but didn't know what to believe. Every time we saw you, you had Pug Face on your arm," Harry said.

"We tried. Once. It was bad. She didn't turn me gay, but after our hookup, she started batting for the other team. I think I was her 'beard'. Last I knew she was seeing a girl from Durmstrang."

Harry swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "So you aren't gay?" he asked.

Draco looked down at Hermione smiled a bit then turned his smile to Harry whilst hitching her legs up a bit as they had slipped during their conversation. "A beautiful person is a beautiful person. If I find someone who sparks my interest, I follow that spark. Have I been with blokes? Yes. More blokes than girls? No. Do I prefer one to the other? No. You?"

Harry sat up straighter on the sofa and pushed his back more fully into the arm, crossed his legs at the ankles, and folded his arms on his chest. "Only girls. And I've only snogged." He said more than a little uncomfortably.

Draco nodded his head solemnly and stared at Harry. He stared for a full minute before his lips opened and he started to smile. He started chuckling and had to stop himself from having it turn into a full blown laugh so that he didn't wake the girl cradled in his arms. Harry on the other hand was turning livid. He was open and honest with the rat bastard, and Draco was laughing at him. He unfolded his arms and moved his right arm to the back of the sofa to push himself up when Draco put his hand on Harry's ankle and held him down. "Please, I'm not laughing at you, I swear. I'm laughing at Me."

Harry moved to sit back again and just looked at the prat.

"Really. I swear Harry. I'm not laughing at you. If any of my old friends heard me today, they would turn my Slytherin robes Red. I sound like the poster child for Gryffindor. I don't know what has happened to me, I've not talked to anyone about anything this much since I was a child. It feels wonderful. If this is why you and the other two go around smiling all the time, I completely understand. I just had to laugh, as it has been bubbling up inside of me since you sent the red headed devil home. You believed in me. You knew that I didn't hurt Hermione, and you trusted your best friend to me, you sent a Weasley home and kept me here. Merlin Harry! Do you know how long it has been since ANYONE has trusted me?"

Draco cleared his throat and said with a serious face. "This day will never be repeated you understand, and if you ever tell anyone how I've acted tonight, I will probably be crucified for killing you, but I would do it." He said soberly. Then a grin broke out on his face all over again, and ruined a perfectly horrible threat to the Golden One.

"You trust me Potter. You trust me with your friends. You trust me with your home. You trust me with your vaults. You trust me with your virginity. You tr…."

"Oi! I never said I trusted you with my vaults! When did I give you my vaults?" he cried out.

"Oh that," Draco waved his hand at Harry. "When you said I could continue as your chatelaine. I told you that the chatelaine over saw the household accounts and you told me I could continue in that service. Ergo you trust me with your vaults." Draco replied dismissing Harry's displeasure.

"If I recall correctly Malfoy, you told me that the duty is to spend what, Your Lord, also known as Me, allows you to use of the budget," he said smugly.

"Pot-tay-to, po-ta-to, it doesn't matter. You trust me Potter." Draco looked at Harry and stopped smiling. With a very serious nod of his head he said, "Thank you. I also accept your hand in friendship."

"You are welcome Draco. And I don't recall giving you my virginity either."

"You gave me the secret of your virginity. That's close enough." Draco smiled with a lascivious smirk and waggled his eyebrows, "for now."

Harry was gobsmacked. Green eyes bored into Grey until Harry noticed the grey eyes were turning almost black. Draco has filled out in the last year and no longer seemed as pointy as he did before. His hair was no longer slicked back in such a severe style, and his fringe fell softly to his eyebrows. Draco had become quite beautiful. Harry felt a familiar pulling in his chest that he really had only felt around one person before. Why was he staring at Draco's bloody lips? "Bloody Hell," he said.

"It's called desire Harry," Draco said to him very softly, almost as a whisper, moving his right hand slightly.

"Don't hold your breath Draco."

"We'll see," Draco said as he moved his hand again.

Harry had been distracted and hadn't really noticed what Draco was doing with his hand until just then. He was running his fingers through Hermione's hair. _He was caressing Hermione whilst flirting with me_ he thought. _Has he been doing that the whole time we have been talking?_ "Bloody fucking hell."

"It seems I am going to need to teach you how to curse as well as how to manage a household, the proper care of house elves, how to dress as befits your new station, how to flirt, how to kiss, how to turn down marriage proposals.." Draco continued raising fingers listing all the things he was going to teach him when Harry finally spoke up.

"I dress fine!"

"You. Do. Not. Dress fine. You dress as if you are wearing the hand me downs of a three headed slovenly beast."

"I am."

"You are what?"

"Wearing the hand me downs of a slovenly beast. My cousin Dudley to be exact, and if he isn't a slovenly beast, I'll eat my shirt. Err his shirt."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry and accusingly said, "You mean to tell me that you are running around in hand me downs, when you carry the key to one of the richest vaults in Europe? Are you mental?"

"No, I just never cared what I wore or what I looked like before. I always had too much to do to worry about what I wore or what people thought of me."

"As of ten minutes ago, you started caring," Draco insisted.

"I did? How do you figure?"

"You now have someone in your life who gives a damn that's how I figure."

"I do?"

"You do."

"Oh."

"You silver-tongued devil. Let's add a 'new vocabulary' to the list of things I need to teach you."

"And I already know how to kiss."

"I highly doubt it."

"I do not need a kissing lesson from you."

Draco said nothing in reply to that and the easy banter dried up. He just stared at the wall in front of him and ran his fingers through Hermione's hair.

Harry thought for a while then got up to go to the other end of the sofa and held his arms out to Draco. "Why not hand her over and I'll take her up to one of the extra bedrooms." Harry bent down to relieve Draco's burden.

A foreign feeling suddenly clenched Draco's heart. He didn't know what it was, or where it came from, but he somehow felt that letting Harry take Hermione from him would end his life. He had been sitting here with the young woman in his lap for a couple of hours and having a great conversation with Harry, but he now felt like punching Harry's lightning bolt scar. He tamped down his inner snarky bastard and schooled his features in his usual mask of indifference.

"I think not. I did not just spend Merlin knows how long getting her calm and asleep to have you and your clumsy hands ruining all of my efforts. She is just fine where she is, and when the time comes to move her to a room, I'll be the one moving her" he said determinedly.

"Draco, don't be silly, just give her to me.."

"She gave herself to me Harry. I can't let her go." Draco wasn't sure exactly what that meant or why he said it, but it made sense in his head.

"What? Are you mental? She did not give herself to you!" He bent down again to take Hermione from Draco's lap.

"Harry I can't give her to you, she surrendered to me. There is something inside of me that will not relinquish her to you."

"You can't be serious. Not even five minutes ago you were flirting with me and offering to teach me how to kiss, and now you cannot 'relinquish' her to me? Bullshit."

"Language, Harry." Draco raised his wand and pointed it at the man standing in front of him.

"I did not give you back that wand so you could hex me with it. I'm not even sure it will work, as it still answers to me. Why are you suddenly acting this way?"

Draco knew exactly why he was acting this way. When he was fourteen, his parents had taken him on a trip to Bulgaria to a very distant relatives wedding. The bride's family was sticklers for the dark arts and insisted on an ancient ceremony that all but went out with the feudal system, it ensured that there was absolutely no doubt that the bride and her family was bestowing their allegiance to the groom and his family. The _Vita Tribo Ritus_ was a binding magical contract and, once the ceremony was completed, was like an unbreakable vow. The groom and his immediate family stood on one side of an altar completely unarmed. The bride and her family stood opposite with their wands drawn, everyone but the bride bowed to the grooms family and sheathed their weapons. The bride aimed her wand at the groom, threw it down and walked unarmed to her groom. Symbolically they were subjugating themselves and proclaiming their allegiance. By accepting her into his embrace he proclaimed that he and his family and all of their allies would then be _Curator Familia_. She and her family and allies were then his to protect and defend. The officiant wizard then made an incantation and a bond was formed.

Draco found the ceremony unbelievably beautiful and longed for such a bond. He and his father were growing farther and farther apart the more Lucius' obsession with the Dark Lord grew. He knew that if it came down choosing Draco or the Dark Lord, Lucius would not choose his son. He had no one but his mother, and she was just a pawn in his father's web. There was no one for him and no one to protect him. It drew into focus that he was alone in the world. Which made the ceremony he'd just witnessed all the more poignant. After the vitta tribo, the bride and all of her relatives were bonded to the groom and all of his relatives and they would all fight and die to protect one another. They became family.

Draco wanted a family and all it entailed. By performing the ritual, even if it was only symbolic in his own mind, Hermione had unknowingly given Draco a family. There was no officiant, and no magical bond, but she had given him what he needed even if it was a sub-conscience need he didn't really know he had until she was wrapped in his arms. In his mind right there and right then as long as he had Hermione, he had family. He had already let his guard down. While he had been holding her in his arms he had made a friend. He had her friend. She had brought him a friend. Harry was also her family. It was tentative at best, but there it was. Draco didn't know what to tell Harry, he knew he needed to explain somehow, but exposing his feelings was something completely alien to him. Exposing your feelings to an enemy was the same as throwing your wand down in a fight. They could then use those feelings to attack you. He had considered Potter an enemy for so long he wasn't sure how to think if he was now a friend. He had to tell him something so that he would let him continue to hold onto her but what could he say?

Well, in for a knut in for a galleon, his Grandmother Druella used to say. Deciding to just lay it all at Harry's feet he chose to tell the truth. He took a deep breath, hugged Hermione tighter for courage then proceeded to tell Harry exactly why he couldn't let go of the girl in his arms.

Harry was starting to get nervous standing in front of Draco waiting for him to speak. Draco's usual mask was gone, replaced with varying expressions he wasn't used to seeing on anyone from Slytherin. It was hard enough to stand still with a wand pointed at you, but to stand still in front of a man who had for the last seven years been a thorn in your side, and quite a volatile thorn at that, and not move to palm your wand was very disconcerting. He didn't even know that he had been holding his breath, until Draco began to speak and he let it out. Harry relaxed once Draco had begun to speak moving his hand away from his wand pocket and folding his arms in front of him.

Harry listened to Draco's explanation trying very hard to keep his face frozen so he didn't show the shock he was feeling. He had always thought that since Draco had a mother and a father and a home he wouldn't ever understand his own need to form friendships and family bonds wherever he could find them. He found himself empathizing with Draco, and a foreign urge to be outraged for him formed in his heart. He and Draco had more in common that he had thought. Was everyone just a lost soul looking companionship and a place to call home? He fought the urge to move over and hug the suddenly vulnerable looking blonde as Draco finished telling his story.

"All I know is that suddenly I feel that if I hand her over to you, my world will crumble. She gave herself to me, she is mine to protect, and I'm keeping her. She threw down her wand in a dueling stance, ran at me and surrendered into my arms. She is mine and I am keeping her. I'm keeping you too, by the way," he insisted with a smug nod.

"Then you might want to lower your wand." Draco stared at Harry for a while, he then lowered the wand. "I should have sold it to the Ministry. They offered me 50,000 galleons for the wand that killed Voldemort."

Working on a completely oddball hunch he had in his head he asked Draco, "So when did you stop hating us? You haven't tried to hex any of us all month, you haven't even tried to call her Mudbl…."

"Shut it", Draco said, "I stopped thinking of her that way during sixth year. She tried to help me with a very big problem once, she said you had sent her to me, and offered me her friendship. I was a dick and pushed her away with a foul statement about her pet Weasel. I've been trying to find a way to take it back ever since. I haven't really hated any of you for a long time. I won your friendship today, and now, I want hers." Putting his wand back in his pocket, Draco dropped his head to look at the sleeping witch and smiled.

Harry tried to think back to sixth year and when he might have sent Hermione to Draco. The only time he could think of was in the great hall just after Draco had stood up and yelled at Parkinson and Nott and told them to leave him the fuck alone, that he had something important to do and didn't have time for their petty problems then stormed out the door. He'd leaned over to his friends and said 'Malfoy sure has a broom up his arse about something; I wish someone would go help him with his problem and remove that broom so we might have a quiet meal for one.' He gave a secret knowing smile and looked down at the man smiling and holding tightly to his best friend.

"Look Draco. Let's just put her to bed for now and later when she is awake we can discuss this. Then you can tell her you are sorry for being the biggest arse in the world."

"Just let her sleep here for a while longer. It's too early for bed and besides, the elves are preparing a wonderful, _not a ham sandwich_, dinner. We can wake her up when it is ready and make her eat something then." Draco drawled, absently rubbing his hand on Hermione's thigh. "Besides, I like her just where she is," He smiled. "After she has had a nap and a hot meal, maybe she will be ready to hear my apology and I can offer her my hand.."

"You can't! He interrupted. Draco stopped caressing Hermione's leg and waited for Harry to continue. " I…it's just …" he stammered. Harry sat on the sofa beside Draco and Hermione. His Adams apple bobbed a couple of times as he swallowed and tried to find the right words to say. Seeing Harry's obvious struggle to speak, Draco had to stop himself from reaching over to pat his leg in encouragement. Harry continued, "I have been in love with Hermione for a long time. It sort of crept up on me. I thought that the feelings I had were what you would feel for your best mate, but I realized when we were camping out this winter, that I really and truly loved her. Do you know how many times she has saved my life? I don't really think I know how many times. She is the most wonderful, smart, beautiful, bossiest, cleverest, did I say beautiful? girl in the world."

"She thinks she is in love with Ron. I know it's not real love. It's just a habit for her. They are too different," Harry dragged his hands through his messy hair then let his head fall to the back of the sofa. "Ron has had Hermione's foot prints all over his back for years and seems happy to let her walk all over him. She would eventually have ended up hating herself for doing that to him. She would have hated him for letting her. I think her bossiness is sexy as hell, and I am happy to let her tread all over me to an extent. But I have never let her bully me into doing anything I didn't want to do, and I know she respects me for that. Ron and Fleur will do well together. She is sweet and will take care of him and coddle him and mother him and the world. Hermione doesn't want to mother the world; she wants to take over the world." Harry had no idea his eyes were shining with excitement as he waxed on about all of Hermione's good qualities.

Draco stared at Harry for quite a while mulling everything he just heard in his head.

"Really Potter? You spend an hour listening to me talk and say next to nothing, then talk for ten minutes without taking a breath. How is that possible?"

"I've had months to think about Hermione and me, and what I thought about her and Ron. You totally took me by surprise. You have walked around here for a month and have barely spoken to anyone, and when you finally do, you let loose the flood gates. It was kind of hard to get a word in edgewise."

Draco thought about that for a while then deciding that someone needed to lighten the mood looked over at Harry and said, "You don't suddenly have an urge to throw your wand down at my feet do you? I'm thinking that with the way that I feel right now, I'd be able to protect and defend the both of you in a manly fashion," he said as he waggled his eyebrows and rolled his shoulders.

The two of them started out with a small chuckle, it turned into a laugh which grew into belly jiggling roars. Both of them were turning red in the face trying to keep their laughter at bay, neither succeeding. Hermione stirred a bit and opened her eyes. She moved her eyes around, taking in her surroundings, and attempted to sit up. Harry waved his hand like he was shooing away a mosquito so the silencing charm would be removed and she could hear. She tensed her muscles to try to sit up but Draco tightened his hold a bit and said, "Relax. I've got you. You are safe."

Hearing that voice, feeling the vibration of it under her hand, and registering the close proximity of said voice to her ear froze Hermione like she had been hit by a freezing charm. Her eyes bulged wide and she stared unblinkingly at Harry who sat just at the end of her legs with her feet almost on top of his thighs. Hermione opened her eyes wider while still staring at Harry for emphasis and then rolled her eyes to the left and upward then looked back at him and quirked her brow as if to say, "Why am I in Malfoy's lap?"

"Dunno Mione, you two were like this about an hour ago when I got home. You'll have to ask him."

"Ask me what?" Draco inquired.

"Hermione wants to know why she is in your lap, and why you are still holding her."

"You two have your own silent language now do you? Is it a private language or can anyone use it?"

"It's not private; it just takes years to become familiar enough with each-other to be able to communicate with it."

"Is that so?" Not taking his eyes away from Harry's superior smug expression. He brought his hand up, and very softly placed his hand behind Hermione's ear and pushed his fingers into her wavy tresses applying slight pressure down as he moved them gently kneading her scalp. He pulled his fingers out of her hair, and then moved his hand to repeat the process. At Hermione's small involuntary moan of pleasure, he gave a self-satisfied smile to the man seated next to him. "It doesn't seem all that hard to learn the language to me Potter."

Harry lowered his eyes to look at Hermione and smiled faintly, "She'll need time. We have to give her time." Then he looked back up at the man holding his best friend.

Draco nodded his head in the affirmative then relaxed his hold on the girl he still had a grip on. Hermione moved quickly after he eased his hold and scrambled to sit on the other side of Harry. Bony knees and elbows jabbed him in places that should not be abused in such a way and he flinched. "Damn Hermione, take it easy, he wasn't going to suddenly hurt you because you were awake," Harry hissed. She looked very hurt at his words and her bottom lip trembled. Harry swore softly and opened his arms to her as she flung herself into them. He gently rocked them back and forth, patting her back and slightly humming in her ear. He then stopped rocking and gave her a big squeeze opening his arms enough for her to pull back. Still cradled in Harry's arms she said to the man seated next to them. "Draco, I want to thank you for before. I was… I was…"

"You were distraught. It's ok. Feel free to use me as your handkerchief and pillow any time. It was my _pleasure_." Harry tensed at the emphasis Draco had put on the word pleasure, but as Hermione hadn't seemed to notice the change of inflection, he decided to let it be…for now.

"Oh Harry, what are we going to do? I feel so bad for all of them. I just didn't know what to say when I saw what happened. I just had to get out of there. I ran to the nearest floo and this was the only place I could think of to come. I had forgotten about Draco being here at first and he about scared me to death when he walked through the doorway. I almost hexed him with a bat bogey. I was never as good as Ginny at it, but it was the only one I could think of at the time."

"Lucky for me, you couldn't think of an unforgiveable then," Draco chuckled.

"I would have stopped before I sent it anyway. Seeing you barefooted would be enough to halt anyone in their tracks."

"What's wrong with my feet? They are clean." He held one out straight in front of them to critically examine it.

"There's nothing wrong with them other than the fact that they are bare. I have never in all the years I have known you to be barefooted, let alone, bare-chested. It took away all of my bluster I was so shocked."

"Well then I shall not be offended that they shocked you," he said and nodded.

Still sitting half in Harrys lap, she reached over and patted Draco's arm affectionately. "Again, thank you Draco."

"It's really not a problem, Mine." Draco said as he stood up and stretched out his back. "I'm going to go check with Kreacher to see if I have enough time to take a shower before dinner. I'll see you two later. I've ordered crème brulee for dessert; it is one of Boni's best dishes." That said the tall blonde bowed slightly to them and elegantly made his exit.

When they were alone Hermione looked at Harry, "He called me Mine. Do you think he messed up calling me Mione?"

"No, Mione, I think he said just what he meant." He said looking into her deep brown eyes.

"Hmm," then, "Were they ok? How are Molly and Arthur taking it? How did Ron look? Is Ginny ok? I need to floo her…wait, they'll all be busy right now. I can wait until tomorrow to talk to her." She quieted for a while and neither of them said anything.

"Harry, he's left us again," she stated the obvious. "We can't even be mad about it this time can I?"

"No, we can't. He didn't choose this voluntarily."

"Do you think she would have chosen Ron if he hadn't been the first one in the room?"

"No. I think she probably would have chosen Charlie. She knew that you and Ron had just started dating and I don't think she would have done this to you if she had had a choice in the matter." She nodded.

"Do you think he'll be happy without us?"

"Without us? Where are we going? Just because he is now mated and has a child on the way, I don't think he will forget about us."

"You know what I mean."

"As I understand it, Veela can't help but make their mates happy. It is what they live for. Once they bond, everything they say or do is for their mate's pleasure. They will also tear apart anyone or anything that dares to make their mate unhappy. She will love him and be totally devoted to him as long as they live. Their magic is compelling, and their mate falls deeply in love with them as well. It is considered very lucky to be chosen as mate by a Veela."

"I know all of this, it was a rhetorical question. How do you know all of this Harry," she asked slightly puzzled

"Draco told me earlier, he knows a lot about Veela," Harry chuckled.

"Draco…? How does he know anything about Veela? Wait… Draco!" she exclaimed. "I should have known! He is very blonde and…"

"**I. Am. Not. A. Fucking. **_**Veela**_!" was heard from above stairs, followed by a loudly slamming door.

"He's not a Veela," she said to no one in particular.

"No, he's not a _Fucking_ Veela," Harry told her. "He is however rude for eavesdropping in on other people's conversations." They smiled at each other and she moved to lounge cradled in Harry's lap to wait for Kreacher to announce that dinner was ready.

"By the way Harry, who is Boni."

Harry's head fell to the back of the sofa and he muttered to himself, "Godrick why me?" and then he proceeded to explain about the elves.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am not J.K. Rowling and I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 2

Hermione sat at the head of the table with Harry and Draco on either side of her. Draco had brought Boni and Trix to meet her earlier at Harry's insistence. He didn't want them to have to hide from her anymore. He had explained their presence and why they were there and Hermione had surprisingly accepted them. She made a big to do over their brand new pillowcases that 'Masters' Draco and Harry had bought them

The food at dinner that night tasted wonderful but the tension was unbearable. The unspoken events of the day were weighing heavily on everyone's mind. The three of them made attempts at conversation, but eventually uncomfortable silence reigned. The more they tried to talk it seemed the more uncomfortable the silence after became. That is until Boni brought out her crème brulee.

Hermione was soon blushing as Draco moaned in pleasure over every bite of his creamy vanilla flavored dessert. She originally thought that she was imagining the sounds until she looked to her left to see Harry, frozen with his spoon halfway to his mouth staring across the table in silence at Draco, who closed his eyes and moaned with each spoonful of the wonderful custard. When Draco's tongue came out to lick the spoon she thought Harry's face would go up in flames it had turned so red. Harry put his spoon down and grabbed the water glass in front of him but started choking when Draco sucked his middle finger into his mouth to clean a bit of custard that had found its way to his digit.

Hermione stood up to beat Harry on the back as he grabbed his napkin and coughed into it. Draco who still had his finger in his mouth opened his eyes to observe his dinner companions, moaned once more and pulled his finger out of his mouth with a smack.

"All right there Potter?" he asked.

"Just," gasp, cough, "I'm fine Mione, Just fine Draco," he finally coughed out. "I'm fine Hermione, quit hitting me." She stopped hitting Harry on the back and took her seat.

That seemed to break the ice as dessert progressed and conversation became easier. Harry asked Hermione if she would like to stay the night.

"I guess I'll need to, won't I? I was staying with Ginny at the Burrow, but I don't think that is appropriate now considering the circumstances and with my parents, well you know that situation, I really don't have a home anymore," she finished sadly.

"I don't think there would really be a problem with you going back there. The Weasley's aren't going to stop loving you just because…well you know," Harry stuttered. "But I hope you know you will always have a home with me for as long as you want one. You are loved and wanted here too."

Hermione looked back and forth between Harry and Draco with a worried frown, "You are sure you don't mind Draco?"

Draco flashed Hermione a brilliant smile that she had never seen from him before, his normal smile always seemed fake and he usually had a pinched look to his mouth as if something smelled really bad. This smile was more casual and his eyes crinkled and sparkled. He picked up her right hand and held it between his warm palms, "I can't think of anything I would like more than to share a home with you and Harry." He said looking directly into her eyes, then closed his eyes and bent to kiss the tips of her fingers.

Hermione stared at Draco's white head bent over her hand in shock. He raised his head then asked Harry, "Which room are we fixing up for her?"

"Kreacher!" Harry called, looking straight at Draco with a hard stare. Hermione knew that look, he was trying to tell Draco something, but she didn't know what, and it was making her uncomfortable.

"Yes Master Harry," Kreacher croaked.

"Please prepare the yellow room for Miss. Hermione as soon as possible; she will be staying with us tonight."

Kreacher's big round eyes started to tear and he began pulling his ears down in a wringing fashion, "won't,can't,won't, My Mistress' room.."

"Kreacher stop that immediately! If you can't prepare the room, have Boni or Trix do it, but stop pulling your ears if it bothers you so much."

Kreacher stopped pulling his ears and turned to walk out of the room but before he did, he turned his big eyes to Hermione and started to cry. He then blew his nose on his pillow case and left.

"Oh Harry, can't you put me in another room if it bothers him so much?"

"No Mione, he has to learn that this house no longer belongs to the Blacks. He no longer belongs to the Blacks. I've tried to free him, and have even offered him his own house to retire in, but he won't have it, so he'll just have to accept that this is now the Potter house and what I say goes."

"Very good Harry," Draco said "I really didn't think you had it in you. We'll turn you into Lord Black yet."

"Lord Black? What is he talking about Harry?"

"Well, er… it seems that when Sirius made me his heir and left me this house, there were other properties and a title that Professor Dumbledore didn't mention to me before. According to Draco, I am now Lord Black."

"I got a letter from Gringotts the other day about the Black family vault that I needed to attend to, but then in the same letter they informed me that due to our 'nefarious mischief' of last year, you, Ron and I are no longer allowed on the premises, so I have no idea really how to go about seeing to that vault. Hell I don't even know how to access my original vault."

"Actually, Harry, the goblins let me into the vaults this morning," Draco said, his tongue swirling around his spoon. Harry stared at him and gulped visibly. "I needed to get into the Malfoy vault for something that Mother wanted to pass on to Aunt Andromeda, and whilst I was there, the new bank manager, Cadgley, asked me if I would see to your vaults as well. I signed the paper work to have the Black vault closed out. You now only have just the two instead of three."

Harry couldn't seem to make his eyes look anywhere but Malfoy's lips. Why couldn't Draco just eat his food like a normal human being? Why must he lick his spoon? Why must he close his eyes and moan with every bite? Why did they let him into my vaults? What? My vaults? Suddenly he realized that Draco was talking and what he had just said. "What? You closed out my vault! How could they do that without me? I thought I had to be there and sign something? I thought Gringotts was the most secure bank in the world?"

"Harry, you know that Molly has had access to your vault before and Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid as well. They must have some kind of provision in place for you since your parents died," Hermione said.

"Yeah, but Hagrid had my key when I was eleven. I thought you needed a key."

"Do you even know where you key is Harry," Hermione asked. "Why did you have three separate vaults?"

Harry buried his face in his hands in misery as he admitted he had no idea where his key was as he personally hadn't been to his vault in seven years. He didn't even really know how much was in it. "I am utterly useless. Draco, did you see all of the names on the accounts?" he mumbled into his hands.

"I did. Did you wish to discuss that right this minute?" Harry's head snapped up and he locked eyes with Draco and subtly shook his head. "I didn't think so." Draco smirked.

"Not utterly useless Harry, I'm sure you have had a bit more on your mind in the last few years than how many galleons you had." Hermione said as she patted his head. "You didn't answer me Harry, why did you have three vaults?"

"I set up a trust for an orphan last year," he finally answered her, looking at Draco, hoping he would get the hint and back him up.

"Yes, an orphan." Draco affirmed. "Calm down Harry, the treasure is still there just moved to the Potter vault. You see," he explained. "A Gringotts vault cannot be inherited by anyone other than a blood relative. The vaults furthest from the surface, usually being the oldest and most prestigious have the most security and are therefore at a premium. The Black vault was located at the very deepest level and will command a very high price from the new owners as that level is now considered to be unbreachable since they have added new security measures. Of course it was considered unbreachable before you got in, and I'm sure if you put your minds to it again you could dispel that thought. Maybe the goblins could hire you three as guards to insure that you won't break in again," He laughed. "But I digress. As you were not an actual blood relative of Sirius, you could not inherit the actual vault. I guess I actually could have had the vault put into my name, but decided that you would want it to stay in your name. I saw to the moving of the treasure to your old vault which had to be enlarged to hold everything. Rather stupid process really, moving to another vault to follow protocol, then enlarging the vault-thus squeezing other vaults. Stupid goblin tradition, really," Draco scoffed.

"But why would they let you into the vault?" at Draco's insulted look, Harry continued "I mean, until this afternoon, I didn't even know that you had access to the vaults. Don't get insulted, I just don't understand."

"Harry, you stood before the highest court in the land and announced that I was to live with you, and then you escorted me from the courtroom holding onto my arm. For all intents and purposes you are, for want of another word, my keeper. Wizard politics are steeped in tradition and innuendo. For example, Andromeda by escorting Mother from the courtroom announced that she would take responsibility for my mother's sentence. It is like a binding contract. She is insuring that the sentence will be carried out to the letter of the law and should my mother not abide by the rules, she, Andromeda would then face the court for punishment. I had no sentence so there is no responsibility there, but you announced to the world that I was now a member of your household and under your protection. I could legally change my name to Potter and no one would bat an eyelash. The goblins know this and as such, allowed me into the vaults."

"That makes sense and explains how Molly and Bill had access to your vault when you were staying at the Burrow," Hermione said with a nod.

"I guess so, but it's still a little unnerving knowing that Draco has access to my vaults and I don't."

"So send an owl to Gringotts and abjure me and this will no longer be a problem for you," Draco said as a dark veil masked his expression and he lowered his head to glare at his plate.

"Oh Harry, you wouldn't!" Hermione exclaimed. "You would be formally renouncing Draco and telling everyone that you don't want anything to do with him and that would be just horrible."

Looking across the table at Draco, Harry recalled the defeated young man that he brought to his home less than a month ago. Draco had been under a tremendous strain for the past two years and it showed. Gone were the sunken cheeks and dark grey circles from under his eyes. He was back to a healthy weight and his skin was back to the pale pink he hadn't seen since Draco had gleefully taken house points from students when he was on the inquisitorial squad in fifth year. Draco no longer stayed in his room when visitors came to the house, and had even asked Harry if he could invite his friend Blaise to visit. Harry had been pleased when he'd asked to invite friends over, but after this afternoon, he was not so sure he wanted this particular friend of Draco's in his home. Since when was he jealous of Blaise Zabini? Since Draco had offered to teach him to kiss if the truth be told. He wasn't sure that he wanted Draco to teach him how to kiss, but he damn sure didn't want him kissing Blaise Zabini, and especially not in his house.

Harry was not unaware of the many expressions his face made as he thought about Draco, nor was he aware of how much time had actually passed since Hermione had last spoken. A discreet clearing of a throat to his right brought him back to the present, and reminded him that Draco was waiting for Harry to cast him out. Harry felt a stabbing sensation in the vicinity of his heart at the thought of Draco leaving him.

"Draco," he said.

Draco did not look up from his almost empty bowl.

"Draco, please look at me," he said quietly.

Draco took a deep breath, and slowly moved his head up to look Harry in the eyes. The defeated look that Harry hoped was gone forever was once again on Draco's face.

"I have no intention of abjuring you. I know that Malfoy Manor will always be your home but for now and for as long as you want, you have a home with Hermione and me."

Draco smiled tentatively and relaxed his shoulders a bit. "Really Harry? For as long as I want?"

"Yeah, I want you to make this your home."

"Then can I _please_ get rid of that hideous Troll's leg by the front door?"

"Yes!" Harry and Hermione chimed at the same time.

"I hate that damn thing. It would be gone already but every time I try to move it, Kreacher starts to pound his head on the floor. Maybe as you have Black blood, he'll allow you to get rid of it."

"Well alright then, I guess I'll get started tomorrow on redecorating the place. Hermione, you'll want your room blue, correct?" Draco inquired. "At least I assume you'll choose blue, as it is your favorite color."

"How did you know that blue was my favorite color Draco?"

"I'm very observant," he said with a self-satisfied smirk.

Harry watched for a bit as the easy banter returned. Hermione tried to wheedle how Draco knew her favorite color and Draco teased and flirted with her but wouldn't tell. Harry asked if Draco knew his favorite color, and Merlin's beard he did! It was like a heavy lead blanket was removed from his chest as the laughter between the three of them returned. It had still been a dreadful day, and tomorrow promised to be just as bad, but here and now they had found a way to smile.

Hermione brought the conversation full circle when she said, "So…if you are going to be Harry's ward or pseudo son, 'Draco Potter'. It has a nice ring to it. Do you have a middle name Draco? I'd like to know your new full name," she teased.

Draco looked like he was going to have a stroke for a second before he pulled his calm mask into place over his features. He swirled his spoon in his bowl for the very last of his custard, licked his spoon with a quiet moan then looked across the table at Harry and licked his lips slowly. "I think my new name should be Draco Malfoy Potter. I never had an actual middle name, so I'll just keep the Malfoy as a middle name. What do you think, Harry."

Harry stared at Draco for a long minute, Draco quirked an eyebrow at him, as if to issue a challenge. He could hear Hermione talking somewhere in the distance, but he was only concentrating on the blonde man sitting across from him. 'Think Harry, he's playing a game of chicken with you to see who will blink first. Think. Think. What will make him back down? Where is your Gryffindor courage? You didn't hide from Tom Riddle in that graveyard in Little Hangleton, and you will not back down from Malfoy now!'

Drawing up his courage and deciding to try and flirt back with Draco he said, "Actually Draco, I have no need for a ward or a son as I have my godson Teddy, what I find I am in need of is a spouse. Draco, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Take that Prat! Harry dipped his spoon into his custard, popped it into his mouth and then saluted the Slytherin with it.

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione shrieked. "How could you mock poor Draco that way? He was just telling you the basic fact of wizard law and you try and insult him. You should be ashamed of yourself. He is here as a guest in your house and you try to embarrass him this way? Molly would be so ashamed of you."

"Oi," Harry said turning and leaning towards Hermione, "Poor Draco? I asked him to marry me, how is that insulting him? Do ya think I'm not good enough for a Malfoy? I'll have you know that there is a marriage contract between him and me at Malfoy Manor proposed by his parents and if they thought I was good enough for him, why wouldn't you?"

"Seriously Harry? Seriously? As if Lucius Malfoy would want Draco to marry a man. You are getting mad and affronted at me? You propose a ludicrous offer to Draco, and then get mad at me when I call you on your joke? Look at the poor man, he is crying for Godricks sake!" she said standing up quickly and moving to the side of the table to hug Draco who had his face buried in his hands and his shoulders were moving up and down.

"Crying? He's not crying, he's laughing his arse off! No need to go hugging him Hermione, he is just trying to get you mad at me." Harry said coming around the table to pull Hermione away from Draco's shoulders.

"Harry you've hurt his feelings. He swallowed his pride and accepted your name, and you make fun of him, and treat him like a servant. I've noticed all that he has done for you in the last month. He's cleaned your home; taken care of your correspondence, paid the bills and planned all of your meals." She said as she hugged the bloody prat and patted his back.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "A wife!"

Draco said nothing, just sat there leaning into Hermione's hug with his face in his hands. "I'm going to bed now and you, Harry are going to apologize to Draco this instant. Kreacher!" she called.

Pop! "Yes"

"Is the yellow room ready for me?"

"If the loud frizzy headed girls is being following Kreacher to My Mistress' room," Kreacher said, still sniffling.

As she followed Kreacher from the room, she pointed her finger at Harry and threatened him, "If you don't make this better for poor Draco, I swear I will tell Molly what you have done Harry, I mean it! I'll see you bright and early in the morning. We are going to the Burrow to help with the funeral arrangements and Molly doesn't need this added to her problems, good night Draco, you think about what I said Harry and apologize now, poor Bill. Poor Fleur. Poor Draco. Poor poor Ron." She continued as she followed Kreacher from the room. He could still hear her berating him as she climbed the stairs.

"Poor Draco, My Arse! I'll not apologize to you, you bloody Bastard!" Harry gave a great sideways shove to Malfoy who was still "weeping" with his face in his hands. It threw him off balance and the snarky prat and the chair went tipping over. Draco rolled on his back side to side with his arm pressed into his stomach he was laughing so hard. Harry was so pissed off he actually grabbed his wand to hex the bastard.

Draco held a hand up to him and said "You…You ddddonnt" he was laughing so hard he could barely get words out. "You don't want tttooo do that H..Harry. She'll bloody well rip you a new arse-hole!" he choked out between great gulps of air as he continued to laugh. "And, I'll have you know that my parents were married a respectable three years before my birth so there is no doubt to my legitimacy," he was able to gasp, still laughing hysterically.

"You Rat Bastard!" Harry spat. "Why did you do that? Now she is mad at me. I hate it when Hermione is mad at me! It's better when she is mad at you."

"Me? You are the one who proposed marriage! What did you expect me to do? Say 'no?" Draco tried to sit up, but found his muscles just wouldn't cooperate at that moment.

"Get up you prat," Harry said offering a hand to the man on the floor.

Draco grabbed the hand, and instead of using it for leverage up, he jerked Harry off balance sending him crashing to the floor beside him.

"Oof. What the fuck did you do that for?" Harry whined straightening his glasses.

"Because I can't seem to make my legs cooperate, and I was tired of looking up at you."

"You could have asked."

"This seemed easier. Are you going to take it back?"

"You can't be serious, I am not apologizing to you, my proposal was not meant to be an insult and you know it. I was just confused at them letting you into the vaults and was trying to lighten the mood." Harry stretched his legs out in front of him. "Until we were held prisoner by Bellatrix and your father, you and I were enemies for almost seven years, and for them to just allow you access to all of my gold is just crazy."

"The goblins know nothing of Hogwarts rivalries. For all they knew, we had been best friends for the last seven years. As to the other, what makes you think we weren't enemies then?"

"Because you knew who I was and you didn't tell them. Why didn't you tell them?"

"They would have called The Dark Lord, and he would have killed you."

"Yes, Why didn't you tell them?"

"The Dark Lord would have killed you Harry. Don't you understand? I was afraid."

"No, I don't understand. Make me understand. Why did you put yourself and your family in jeopardy after all the trouble you went to protect them?"

Draco sat up leaned toward Harry who was sitting beside him; he placed his hand on Harry's chin to turn him so that they were looking straight at each other. Draco licked his lips prayed for some of Harrys courage, closed his eyes and kissed Harry Potter.

Harry was so startled he didn't know what to do. He's kissing me. Draco Malfoy is kissing me! He tried to open his mouth to say something, he didn't have any idea what he was going to say, but as soon as his mouth opened, Draco slid his tongue in to flick quickly at the underside of his lip, and then it was gone. At Harry's small gasp of surprise at the tickling of Draco's tongue, the blonde man opened his eyes and ended the kiss. Pulling away Draco murmured, "that's why, you idiot."

"Er…um…Draco, I…"

"Save it Potter. You asked why, and that's why. You don't have to say anything." He told Harry as he moved to stand up.

Harry gathered his courage and grabbed Draco by the collar of his robe and pulled him back down beside him. "Let me speak please?" He sat back down with an arm behind him for balance and his other arm on his bent knee and waited for Harry to remember how to talk. Harry ran his hand through his hair making an even bigger mess of it than it had been.

"Draco, I have learned since the night of the battle, that there are different kinds of bravery. Gryffindor's have one kind of bravery, the obvious kind. But two Slytherins have shown me a different kind. I think that you and Professor Snape are two of the bravest people I know. You both stood up to Tom Riddle in your own way and you chose a side. It wasn't obvious, but you did choose. You chose to do the right thing.

"I watched you sixth year," he admitted. "Ron and Hermione thought I was obsessed with you. I probably was. I followed you everywhere. I could always spot you in the corridors by your walk… I know what fruit you would pick at breakfast and which one at lunch; I also know which one is your favorite. I know your favorite colour; imagine my surprise to find out you actually like red. I know which bathroom you prefer, you will go out of your way to go to the fifth floor loo near the charms classroom. I know your preferred route to the dungeons. I know just how much crap you will take from Parkinson before you insult her. I know that you never thought house elves inferior, I watched you talk to them when you thought no one was looking. I know that when your mother would send you sweets, you would eat only two at the table, and save the rest for later. I saw you leave some of your sweets for the cutest, littlest Hufflepuff girl who Pansy had made cry. Do you know, I even know how exactly how you take your tea?"

"I watched as you struggled to finish the task Voldemort gave you. I watched Professor Snape's memories in a pensive and I saw how much anguish you were in. I knew what Riddle wanted you to do. I know you saw it as a weakness when you couldn't kill Professor Dumbledore, Draco, but looking back and knowing what I now know, you were so brave and I admire your courage. I am so proud to call you my friend."

"Now it's my turn to be brave," Harry cleared his throat and took a deep breath as he continued, "I never ever thought I would say this to another bloke, but Draco would you please kiss me again?"

Draco's eyes bored into Harry's as he tried to judge his intentions. Was this a pity kiss? Would the Prat-Who-Lives offer a pity kiss? No, a Gryffindor wouldn't do that. No honor in it. Harry was above all things honorable. Draco was suddenly very nervous. More nervous than when he'd first kissed Harry. That first kiss didn't really require much thought, it was just a way to explain why he didn't want to see Harry dead. This was kiss was going to be a game changer.

Draco raised his wand to cast a silencing charm on the room and then laid his wand on the floor. Harry put his wand down beside the one that had become as familiar as his own.

Harry closed his eyes as Draco moved to his hands and knees and kissed him. Draco tilted his head to the side for better access and put his tongue to Harry's upper lip and slipped it inside for a taste. He tasted of vanilla and sugar and Draco moaned into his mouth and savored the taste.

The sound of Draco's moan was like an electrical jolt to Harry's senses. He felt goose-bumps break out on his arms and his hair felt like it moved to stand straight up. His hair was not the only thing moving stand straight up as he felt his cock harden. Harry opened his mouth a little further and pressed his tongue to tease Draco's. Harry growled when Draco swiped his tongue across the roof of Harry's mouth.

Draco rocked backward at Harry's growl, pulling away thinking that the kiss was over. He should have known better. Trust a Gryffindor to go full throttle. Harry followed with his whole body, knocking him flat on his back and climbing on top of him to straddle his hips. Their kiss was broken briefly as they landed.

Harry took that opportunity to open his eyes and look at the man he'd trapped underneath him. He gazed at the very good looking blonde man. Draco still had some very pointy features, but had rounded out nicely lately, and he had to admit, kiss swollen lips looked very attractive on him. Draco was panting heavily and his lips were open. Harry growled again as Draco licked his lips, and he descended on his prey.

Draco moved his hand to Harry's neck and helped pull him down for another kiss, his other hand found its way to caress the lightning bolt scar that he had been fantasizing about touching for years. It was slightly raised and smoother than the rest of his forehead. He wanted to trace it with his tongue and kiss the source of so much of Harry's pain.

Harry held nothing back as he kissed Draco. It was as if a valve had been opened and all of his pent up desires were rushing forth. He licked the man's lips, and when they parted, he nipped them with his own. When Draco touched his scar, he whimpered and sucked Draco's tongue into his mouth. Harry grabbed Draco's wrists pinning them to the floor moving his hips to rub their cocks together.

"Fuuuuck yes Harry," Draco panted, and pushed up with his own hips answering Harry's movements.

Harry's tongue found Draco's ear and licked around the delicate shell as he panted and thrust his hips. When he put his tongue into the ear, he was rewarded as Draco got his hands free and grabbed his arse and ground them together again. Harry's teeth found a soft earlobe to nibble and he whispered a soft "Oh God yes," still moving his hips in tandem with Draco's.

Draco realized when Harry bit him and whispered in his ear that he no was no longer in control of what was happening between the two of them. He thought that as he was the more experienced, Harry would let him lead the way. He was wrong. Harry was a source to be reckoned if he really wanted something, he gave no quarter, you either surrendered or you were destroyed. Draco was a smart man, he surrendered. It was freeing really, letting go and giving your-self over to feeling and, fucking hell, what a feeling.

Harry continued to move his hips, grinding their cocks through their trousers and whispering nonsensical things into Draco's ear, mostly 'fuck yes, Oh God yes, there, harder, yes' his hands never stopped moving and neither did Draco's. He discovered just how soft that blonde hair really was, and that Draco liked to have it pulled. Draco's answering pull on his own hair had him bucking and circling his hips faster. Draco somehow worked his hands under Harry's shirt to circle his fingers around his nipple and pinch at the hard nubs. "Shit yes, Draco, yes," he said through clenched teeth.

Their lips found each other's again and they kissed frantically, Harry licked into his mouth, exploring the warm wet cavern. Draco stroked Harry's tongue with his own, nipped at his lower lip, sucked on his upper lip. Harry and Draco's movements were instinctual and primal, faster and faster, both panting, sweating from their exertions. Draco pulled his mouth away from Harry's to whisper, "Come for me Harry."

That did it, Harry stiffened on top of Draco and threw his head back and roared. The sound of Harry's roar and the palpable sizzle of magic that flickered the lights as he came, drove Draco over the edge, triggering his own orgasm. Feet flat on the floor, he pushed his hips up into Harrys, and raised both of them off the floor as he shouted his answering release.

Draco slowly lowered them to the floor and they lay still for a long while as they regained their breath. Harry was the first to move, as he rolled over and off of Draco. Harry felt something digging into his back and rolled slightly toward Draco to pull two wands out from under him. He held them up; Draco took one and cast a cleaning spell on himself. Looking at harry with a quirked eyebrow, Harry said, "No thanks, I want a real shower. Scourgify never really works for me."

The two of them turned to their sides and looked at each other with their heads propped up on their hands. Draco broke the silence and asked if Harry was ok. "Yeah, I really am. How about you?"

"I feel like I could fly without a broom. Do you realize your magic shook the house when you came? I still feel it inside of me bouncing alongside my own. I've never felt anyone else's magic before, it makes me feel so alive," he smiled, and leaned over to kiss Harry quickly on his nose.

"I've felt someone else's magic for years, it always left me feeling dead inside, or caused pain. I'm glad mine doesn't make you feel that way," he smiled. He looked at Draco's hand as he leaned away from him and noticed which wand he held. "You've got my wand."

Draco looked at the wand in his hand, "Yeah I do, it worked just fine for me, felt natural really, just like my own." He gave the wand a flick, and the paint on the dining room walls turned from a garish red to a soft muted mauve. "Much better."

"Yeah, I like it. What color are you going to do my room?"

"I think I'll surprise you. If I tell you then you'll have nothing to anticipate."

"Ok, if you insist. Speaking of rooms, I think I need to go to mine and shower, I'm a sticky mess and it's getting cold."

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning before you and Hermione leave, yeah?"

"Yes, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"The usual, go see Mother, plan your meals, clean the house, and fantasize about snogging you."

"You've fantasized about it? Really?" Harry asked, astonished.

"Only about four times a day since fourth year, and six times a day in the last month."

"Really? That long? I had no idea."

"Well, naturally, you probably would have punched me in the nose if I'd walked up to you after potions one day and slipped my tongue in your mouth. Either you, The Weasel, or Hermione probably would have killed me. Did you three ever do anything without the others? How did you and Ron ever find time to wank properly with her around all the time? "

"She didn't sleep with us! She slept in the girls' dorm. We had the privacy of our own beds, or at least I did, dunno about Ron."

"I almost tried to talk to you one day when your minions weren't around, I was walking up behind you, but sure enough Granger came charging from the library with about fifty pounds of books chattering about a prince, and I turned around and went the other way."

"Minions! I'd like you to call her that to her face! I want to see that, hey, call her that tomorrow before we leave ok? That way she'll be mad at you when we leave for the Burrow and not me," Harry smiled, then the smile faded…"No, better not, tomorrow will be hard enough on her, how about on your birthday this Friday?"

"You know when my birthday is?" he asked astonished.

"Of course I do, I told you that I know you. I practically stalked you sixth year."

"Really, what's my favorite sweet," he challenged.

"Up till an hour ago, I would have said chocolate, but not chocolate frogs, you almost hexed Crabbe once when his frog jumped onto your robes. I don't know if you moan when you eat chocolate as I've never been close enough to hear you when you ate it, but I have watched you eat it, and have never seen you close your eyes, and suck your fingers whilst eating it, I'd have to say now that your favorite is Boni's Crème brulee."

"Correct, though I don't recall licking my fingers before, I haven't had it in two years, and I just didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I had some tonight. And Malfoy's do not moan at their food," he finished with a nod.

"I know one who does," he teased. Harry started mimicking Draco's eating of dessert by closing his eyes and moaning, and then sucked his little finger into his mouth, pulling it with a loud smack, "Mmmmm ohhh Crème brulee, my favorite," he then licked a stripe up the wand he held in his hand putting the tip into his mouth and sucking on it. He opened his eyes to look at Draco and stilled.

Draco was turning pink from his hairline to his neck barely visible underneath his robe. His ears were a vivid red and looked painful. He got up on his hands and knees to lean over Harry who rolled to his back in surrender. "The next time you put a wand of mine to your mouth Harry, you'd better be prepared for the consequences. It'll be a much thicker one that you'll have your lips around and don't be surprised when it comes with a cream filling for you to lick up," Draco croaked out in a whisper. He then claimed Harry's lips in a searing kiss that left no doubt in Harry's mind which wand he was talking about.

Draco pulled away and stood up to tower over Harry, taking his wand from his hand as he did so. "I'll see you and Hermione in the morning, sleep tight," he said, then turned and left the room.

Harry didn't move until he heard a door shut upstairs and a shower come on. "Fucking Hell," he moaned, putting his arm over his eyes. Harry just lay on the floor of his dining room next to an overturned chair for long minutes. He supposed he ought to get up off the floor, right the chair, and leave the room so the elves could come in and clear the table, but finding the energy to move was proving to be hard to do.

So, he thought to himself. 'Blokes'. Was it blokes in general? He had no idea. He had never been attracted to a man before, but he was definitely attracted to Draco. 'So, Draco'. Ok. He said it out loud to himself a couple of times just to hear it. "I fancy Draco. I fancy Draco Malfoy. I fancy Draco Bloody Malfoy." No matter how many times he said it, it sounded really weird. What will people say? Do I care? I really don't, he realized. "I fancy Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater, and I don't give a damn what people will say or what they think. I am tired of living my life for other people and I can do anything I bloody well want. I can fancy girls and blokes if I want to," he said out loud to his pretty new mauve walls, trying the words out so see how they sounded. They sounded pretty good to him.

Ok, so I do care what one person thinks, he admitted to himself. What am I going to tell Hermione? I'll have to tell her something if she is living here, she will notice us attacking each other at dinner I'm sure, she is a smart witch. "Brightest witch of her age for sure," he said out loud. "Ugh," he moaned out, as he rolled over to stand up. "Shower." Harry got to his feet and righted the overturned chair. Waved his hand to out the candles and headed for bed.

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who left a review of the first chapter.**

**I was really happy to see all of the notices I received, and I hope **

**I didn't let anyone down with how long it has taken me to update.**

**I don't have a beta yet, as my choice of beta doesn't think she can do it,**

**I however have faith in her and will keep after her until she relents. **

**Until then, please forgive any misspellings and typos.**

**As I'm sure you all know, this is my first fic and I am totally**

**New at writing. Please bear with me as I learn. **

**If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for the story, please feel free to let me know, I find **

**I do really well bouncing ideas off of other people. **

**Feliz Cinco De Mayo!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**7-1-2012, I am so sorry; I accidentally posted a rough draft of chapter 3. I have (hopefully) fixed this so it no longer causes a headache to read.**

**A/N: What? The hero of the wizard world can't**

**jump into something without overthinking?**

**I know it was a little soon for what happened last **

**Chapter, but the story just went that way on its own.**

**I am not J.K. Rowling, if I were, all cars **

**and tuition would be paid for.**

"Harry, wake up. HARRY. HARRY WAKE UP!" Hermione was shaking Harry's foot trying to wake him up. "**HARRY!**"

She grabbed the covers from under his chin and whipped them down to the foot of the bed. "Oh My God Harry! Where are your pants?" She shrieked turning her head and covering her eyes.

A nude Harry was sitting up in the bed, reaching for the covers that had fallen off the end of the bed. Unfortunately, Hermione was still shrieking and holding onto one tip of the blanket which got further and further away from him with each step she took away from the bed.

"What's going on up here?" Draco asked as he walked to the bedroom. "Well good morning _Harry_," he smirked. "Bit drafty in here this morning isn't it?" He was standing in the doorway with both hands braced on either side of the doorframe.

"Out! Get out! Both of you, I'm up," he'd finally got some of the blanket pulled up to cover his bits from prying eyes. "Does no one knock anymore? Ok Hermione I'm covered up," he said reaching for his watch on the bedside table.

"Harry, you always wear pajamas, what is wrong with you? Are you sick?" she asked walking back to the bed and reaching for his forehead to feel for a fever.

He swatted her hand away from his face and blushed when he looked to the doorway seeing the knowing smile on Draco's face. "I showered before bed last night and didn't feel like dressing. I didn't know I would be hosting a parade this morning."

"We are running late, I wanted to be at the Burrow first thing this morning, and it's nearly seven," she said as she folding her arms on her chest and glared at him.

"You know, the longer you stand there staring at me, the later we are going to be. I'm not getting out of this bed till you turn around and leave."

"Fine," she said, turning to march to the door. "Make sure he is up and dressed in five minutes or I'll be back with a fire hose," she ordered Draco who had moved into the bedroom. Hermione turned once more to glare at the man still not moving on the bed, "I mean it Harry." She then walked out of the room and slammed the door loudly. Harry and Draco flinched when they heard the portrait start wailing.

"Draco, I'll pay you a hundred galleons if you'll get that portrait off my wall," Harry said, falling to lie back on the bed. "Really? It's not yet seven?" he moaned pulling the covers over his head.

"Done. Now come on Potter, let's get you dressed before I change my mind and crawl in there beside you," he said lifting the covers up and peeking underneath. "I've got something just outside the door that you'll need for today so haul your very delectable arse out of bed and I'll get it for you."

Draco dropped the sheet and walked to the door to peek outside making sure Hermione wasn't lurking. He stepped out the door to grab a small bundle and came back inside and shut the door. Harry had already pulled on a pair of pants and was walking toward the bathroom. Draco walked over to the wardrobe and began to sort through the clothes.

"Rubbish," he said throwing a pair of trousers on the floor.

"Pathetic," another pair of trousers hit the floor.

"Pedestrian," he snorted, and a hound's-tooth jacket landed beside the trousers.

"Not hopeless," a pair of black trousers landed on the bed.

"Finally!" a white silk button down shirt was triumphantly raised in the air and waved around like a victory flag. "I knew you had to have something not disgusting in he-…Shit!" Draco cursed when he spotted what looked like a spaghetti stain on the front of the shirt. He pointed his wand to the spot and cast a cleaning spell. The stain stayed.

"Evanesco" He tried another spell that didn't remove the stain either.

"Fuck." He threw the shirt on the floor and attacked the wardrobe again. Eventually giving up with another curse to walk out of the room to see what he had that would work.

Harry came out of the loo to an empty and destroyed bedroom. His wardrobe was literally empty. All of his clothes were thrown in a heap on the floor. "DRACO!" he yelled. "Where are you? You have to leave me _something_ to wear!" he walked over to the pile on the floor and rescued a brown jumper.

"I've been practicing a new spell, and if you don't want to know which one, and what it does, I suggest you put _that_ back down," he said gesturing at the jumper Harry still held. "I've brought you something of mine to wear for today, and will have a Madam Malkin deliver several pieces by this afternoon. Kreacher and I will be burning that lot as soon as you two leave," he said pointing to the heap.

Harry was so surprised by Draco's actions that with each new move Draco made; Harry spluttered another piece of an incoherent sentence.

"You can't…I need…I like...I wear…These are...Fine, you win," Harry said, raising his hands up in surrender just as Draco pointed his wand at the jumper in Harry's hands.

"What am I to wear then?"

Draco held up a green button down shirt with black embroidery on the cuffs with a look of triumph. "This will be perfect for today, and I'll have mourning suit ready in time for the funeral tomorrow."

Harry took the shirt and held it up to himself as if to check the fit, cringing when his hand snagged on the silk. "I can't take this, it's too fine, I'll ruin it," he said trying to hand the shirt back to Draco.

"Nonsense, take it, It's from fifth year, I can't wear it anymore, it's too big for me now, but it should fit you just fine," he pushed the shirt back at Harry and walked over to gather the black trousers from the bed. "Put these on quickly before Mine comes back."

Harry took the trousers from Draco and pulled them up, leaving them unbuttoned while he buttoned cuffs on the shirt. Draco _was_ too thin he thought to himself, looking at the blonde. It was going to take more than a month to have him looking somewhat normal again. He seemed to be growing out of his pointy features, but since Draco had mentioned the shirt no longer fitting him, Harry looked a little more critically at the tall skinny blonde. Lucius was never more than lean, and Narcissa was very trim as well, but there was something almost gaunt to Draco's appearance that worried him. He had noticed his improved colour previously, but now he was concerned about his appearance.

What's next? Will I be tucking him into bed at night too? The thought of Malfoy and a bed had him blushing and he turned his head to look over to the window examining the dust motes visible in the sun peeking through the draperies. He tucked the shirt into his trousers, flinching again at feeling the snag of his rough hands on the delicate material. He looked again at the cuffs, paying closer attention to the green colour and the embroidery. Slytherin green and dragons. Dragons? I might as well be wearing a sign that says_,_ "_This shirt belongs to Draco Malfoy_," he thought.

"Harry, do you have a black belt anywhere?" Draco asked.

"Top left drawer," He answered.

Draco grabbed the belt and shut the drawer. "Socks?"

"Second right," Harry answered, and watched in horror as Draco opened the drawer on the left side. "Right side, right side! Shit!"

Harry watched in horror as Draco opened his junk drawer and reached in to pull out a green and silver stripped scarf. He made a big show of shaking it out, holding it up and examining it in the light rays, then folding it into quarters and returning it to the drawer. "I've lost three scarves at Hogwarts, which one did you lift?" Draco said turning around to look at Harry.

"Tha-That's not yours Malfoy," Harry said with a blush.

"Are we back to last names again Potter? I thought we dispensed with that last night."

"Er-yes, I thought we had too, it's just…I…I forgot for a minute. Socks?...second drawer on the right."

Draco smiled and turned back to the bureau, "Not mine?"

"No," he said with a gulp.

"Not many of us in Slytherin with the initials D.M., but ok, it's not mine, whatever you say." Draco grabbed some black socks from the drawer and turned back to smile at Harry. "Harry, you look like Christmas with your red face and my green shirt," he flipped the socks to Harry and sat down on the bed to watch him dress. "I've sent Trix to the Burrow this morning to help Mother Weasley with the preparations."

Harry really did wish that the floor would open him up and swallow him so that he wouldn't have to deal with this right now. To say that this morning was awkward would be like calling a basilisk a garden snake. He wasn't sorry or ashamed about last night, but he really didn't want to have to think about it at the moment. There were so many possible repercussions from what he and Draco did, how do you even talk about it? Do you talk about it? Do you mention it? Having never had a "morning after" type of experience he really didn't know what to say or how to act. He fastened his belt and reached for his trainers under the nightstand.

"Touch those filthy things and I will hex you", he heard from the end of the bed.

"What do you expect from me?" he yelled at Draco. "These are what I have. This is what I wear and who I am!"

Draco's immediate reaction of hurt was quickly replaced by a calm mask as he replied, "No Harry, this is what you have, but certainly not who you are, you told me so last night. This is your fat cousin, not you. You don't like my shirt, fine. Don't wear it, I didn't think you would really have a problem with it, but if you do, don't wear it. But these are not you," he said pointing to the pile of clothes on the floor, "and I'll not have you saying that anymore. I told you last night that you now had someone who cared and I meant it. If you trust me, I'll take care of a new wardrobe. If you'd rather go by yourself that is fine too. If you want my opinion then I'll go with you to shop, it doesn't matter to me, what you do with _your_ wardrobe, but this is not your wardrobe, it's your cousins," he finished.

Harry's bluster was gone by the time Draco had finished speaking. He felt awful for yelling at him, it was a stupid childish thing to do and he was better than that. It was just so easy to fall back into the normal routine of spite and malice that the two of them had played for the last seven years. "Draco, I'm sorry," he said. "No one has ever cared what I wore before; I just don't know how to react to it."

"Really? No one? The Weaselette said nothing? Hermione? What is wrong with Gryffindor's? If any of us tried to leave the dorm without looking our best Pans and Daph would march us back to our rooms and make us change our clothes. Physically if necessarily."

Bang! Bang! Bang! "Harry I'm coming in, you'd better be dressed!" Hermione said as she opened the bedroom door. "Good, you are dressed, let's go," she said grabbing for Harry's hand.

"Wait! Hermione! I haven't got any shoes on. Why is it so important that we get there early? The funeral is not until tomorrow?" Harry asked, pulling his hand free. He walked over to his bed and got on all fours to look under his bed, crawling on his belly to get further under the bed obviously looking for something.

"They will be planning the funeral this morning, then having a mourning ceremony this afternoon," she told him.

"And we need to be there why?" was heard from under the bed, along with some thumping.

"Honestly Harry, I know you took the same classes I did, how could you spend six hears at a school for wizards, and still know next to nothing about the traditions?" Hermione said rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

"I was kind of busy if you remember correctly…Aha!" He exclaimed. "Crap, where is the other one?" There were several more thuds from under the bed.

"Will you please hurry up? And I'm not explaining anything to a pair of feet sticking out from under a bed."

He popped up on the other side of the bed. "Fine, "he said. "I can't find the other one anyway,"

He stood up, dusted himself off and looked around the obviously searching for something. "I'm out. Explain."

"Traditionally, the day after a death, at mid-day, the family and very close friends have a mourning ceremony. It's a way to honour the deceased and grieve in a more private way than a public funeral," she explained. "Whilst the family is together, they make formal plans for the funeral and gathering feast the next day. The gathering feast is quite like a muggle wake as it's a way to remember the departed and celebrate the life that was lived and not dwell on the death," she finished.

Draco listened to Hermione's explanation, interested to hear how she would explain it to Harry. She had a pretty good grasp of the concept actually considering she had probably not attended any formal wizard funerals and what they taught at Hogwarts barely touched on the subject. She was missing a small concept though, and Draco was going to enlighten them before they left today.

"Here," Draco said handing him a pair of black boots Harry forgot he owned. "These will look ok for today. Tell me where you got them, and I'll order more for you."

"Er…Poundstretcher?" at Draco's blank look Harry added, "It's a Muggle store."

"Merlin Potter, what am I to do with that."

"I Dunno, Overthink it and blame Professor Dumbledore and my mother's heritage?" he said grabbing his boots in his free hand as Hermione was dragging him past Draco.

"Wait up you two! You'll need to take this," he said holding up a bundle.

"What's this?" Harry asked untangling his hand from Hermione's to pull on his boots, hopping around in a circle to put them on one after the other.

"It's for mourning. I tried to tell you earlier when I told you I'd sent Trix to the Burrow. It's a potion's knife that belonged to Merlin," Draco said. Hermione gasped.

At Harry's blank look Draco explained. "An item that once belonged to Merlin is considered sacred, and to have one on hand for a ceremony, adds reverence. Families of the departed find comfort when a relic of Merlin is near during ceremonies. Most people have had to bury loved ones without a relic these days as a lot of relics have disappeared." Draco lowered his face and spoke to his feet.

You-kno…Er. Well, _He_ was acquiring as many Merlin relics as possible in the last couple of years, many families have discovered that their relics are no longer where they were hidden. Mother was in the room when You-… well _Vo…_Voldemort bragged that he had "acquired" the Weasley relic. No one knows what he did with all of them."

"Our relic was buried in the garden shed under the fertilizer, he didn't look there. Actually, Harry, you could have been hiding there for years, neither he nor any of the Death Eaters would have gone near you. Bad smell. Mother is a traditional gardener. She uses manure on the roses" he chuckled to himself.

"Mother had this sent here for me this morning to give to Mrs. Weasley. She still had it at Andromeda's house from my cousin's funeral." He raised his head and shrugged. "A gift to a mother who has lost a son from a mother who is grateful to still have a son', she said."

Draco put the small velvet bag in Harry's hand. "Mother knows that you and Weasel-bee saved my life twice during the battle, this gift is her way of saying 'Thank you."

"Draco that is so incredibly nice of your mother, relics are so very precious, to just give one away is beyond generous," she said as she looked at the velvet bundle reverently. "But if I remember what I read correctly, shouldn't the Head of House gift the relic personally?"

"Well, yes, but Father is in Azkaban and Mother is under house arrest so I think propriety will just have to be waived this one time, don't you think?"

"You could come with us," Harry spoke up. "We can all go together, and you can give it to Molly. I think it would mean more coming from you than us just handing it to them."

"I don't think that would be such a good idea," Draco said.

"It'll be ok, I promise, you can come with us, give them the gift, then come back here. It's early enough that most of the family will probably still be in bed," Harry said. "If this relic is really that sacred, then I think protocol should be followed, don't you? It is what you said, 'your mom sent it to you to give to Molly,' it's what she wanted you to do."

"But the sister…" Draco said.

"Hermione will take care of Ginny. She won't say a thing to you," Harry promised.

"It's why I sent Trix, as a representative of the family. She also can help prepare the food for the gathering. I don't think they'll want an actual Malfoy there at this time."

"It's time to move on Draco. Arthur helped your mother at the trial, he wouldn't have done that if he still had bad feelings toward Malfoy's," Hermione said. "If you remember correctly, Molly, Arthur, George, Fred and Charlie Weasley stood beside Ron and I right behind Harry at your trial with the rest of the Order. It's time to move forward and all journey's start with a step," she said putting her hand on Draco's shoulder.

Harry watched the emotions flash across Draco's face; indifference, scorn, panic, fear, and finally when Hermione touched him, a calm face of acceptance. He felt a lurch of pain in his chest when Draco nodded his head and patted Hermione's hand. He recognized the jealousy flaring inside of him, but bloody hell, was he jealous of Draco or Hermione? Was he jealous because Hermione was comforting Draco and he wanted to be the one to be the one to comfort him, or because Draco was receiving her touch and he wanted Hermione's touch? Fuck!

"All right, I'll go with you, but only long enough to give Mrs. Weasley the relic. I have too much to do here today to stay any longer," Draco agreed.

Hermione handed the bundle back to Draco very carefully as if it would suddenly, after so many years, break.

"Are we going to floo in or apparate?" Harry asked to no one in particular.

Hermione bit her lip and thought for a moment, "Let's apparate, that way we'll be a little way from the house, and we can walk up to knock on the door. We won't be just popping in on anyone unexpectedly, and we won't wake anyone with the roaring of the floo so early."

"Ok," Draco said, "but I'll have to side along with one of you, I have no idea where I am going."

"I've got him, you go on ahead Hermione, and we'll be right behind you."

Hermione nodded and with a pop, disappeared.

Harry grabbed Draco's arm and said, "You are sure you are ready for this?"

Draco turned to face Harry and moved his hands up to frame Harry's face. He closed his eyes and kissed him quickly. "For luck," he said, "let's go before I change my mind."

Harry nodded and they disappeared.

Hermione flung herself into the arms of Charlie Weasley when he finally opened the door to let the three of them into the house. "Why didn't you floo?" he asked moving Hermione's hair out of his face. "Come on in guys. Almost everyone is still asleep, only Mum, Dad and I are up."

Hermione stepped out of Charlie's arms and asked where Molly and Arthur were.

"They are in the kitchen with a house elf that popped in this morning. I thought Mum was going to wake the house when she started screaming. The little thing kept trying to hit his head on the table until Mum finally allowed him to cook breakfast."

Hermione disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

"That would be my fault," Draco said. "I'm sorry. I didn't think to send a message that I was sending him. Mother just said to send an elf to help with the ceremony."

"Ah, Malfoy, hello," Charlie reached out his arm and shook his hand. "You look better than the last time I saw you."

"Charlie," he nodded. "Wish I could say the same. You have my deepest sympathies for the loss of your brother."

"Thank you." Turning to Harry he offered his hand. Harry shook his hand and moved in to embrace him in a hug.

"Charlie I…I. There are no words…"

"Thank you Harry. Kind of early don't you think?"

"Hermione's idea." He shrugged. "She wanted us here earlier, we are lucky she didn't have us here at six."

"We should have kept her up later last night Draco, she might have slept in a bit," he said turning to Draco. "She stayed with us last night," he added to Charlie.

"You really do have a death wish Harry, I'm sure she was quite a handful last night," Charlie smiled a bit.

Harry couldn't help but feel a lighter in the heart at the joke. He wasn't sure just how to act at a funeral of a family member, having attended only one before. At Remus and Tonks' ceremony, he arrived at the last minute and held Teddy. He felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest the whole time he sat with the baby. The elephant had come back to his chest while he was walking up to the Burrow. Charlie's small joke made him feel like life was going to go on and be ok.

"I've always liked having Hermione around, I love her, you know. She'll always have a home with me," Harry said.

"Good, she's going to need to be with someone who loves her now," He turned and asked Draco, "You live there too, are you ok with this?"

"Well, yes, she can be a little intense sometimes, but she is growing on me."

"Good, Ron was concerned when she disappeared yesterday and I don't think he can settle into his new bonding until he is assured she will be taken care of. She will be taken care of yes?" he asked looking at Harry then Draco.

"I promise," Harry said.

"Me too, no matter where I am, she will always have a home, I swear," Draco vowed.

"The cat too. That thing almost drove me crazy last night, I don't know why he didn't go sleep with Ginny, and he scratched on my door until I let him in. I now know where the term 'caterwauling' came from. He didn't make too much of a fuss when you guys were gone last year, but I guess he was afraid she was going to leave him again last night, and he set up to howling something awful. You have to take the cat."

"Cat? Shit." Draco made a sour face. "I fucking can't stand cats. They remind me of Umbridge. And pink. And tea cups. And fuzzy pink sweaters," he spat.

"I thought you liked Umbridge," Harry said, surprised.

"I liked being on the inquisitorial squad, I didn't like Umbridge," he snorted.

"It's ok mate," Harry said patting Draco on the back. "Crookshanks is…different."

"Ron always liked to call him the 'Orange bandy legged mange mongrel'. But never to Hermione's face," Charlie said.

"Crookshanks has more in common with a Nundu than one of Umbridge's cats. Hermione says she bought him from the Magical Menagerie, but sometimes I think she went to Africa and captured him herself," Harry joked, turning in the direction of the kitchen and saying over his shoulder, "His breath is just as bad as a Nundu's as well; I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't cause disease."

"Wonderful," Draco sighed as he followed the other two.

The smell of baking bread drew the men to the kitchen like a beacon, when they stepped into the kitchen they were shocked to see Molly sitting with her feet propped up on a kitchen chair, being served a steaming cup of coffee by Trix. "Would Mrs. Weasels like a bit of Ogden's in her coffees?" Trix asked as a bottle levitated to his hand.

"No thank you Trixie, you made it just like I like it already, it tastes wonderful. The bread smells like it's ready to come out of the oven, and could you please squeeze some orange juice for later?"

"Molly?" Harry asked walking over to the table, leaning down to give her a hug.

"Harry dear, I was wondering what was keeping you, Hermione has been and gone upstairs to wake Ginny already," she reached up to give him a hug.

"Molly, I am so very sorry for your loss. Bill will be missed very much," he said straightening up and walked to the other side of the table to hug Arthur.

Moving away from Arthur, he said "I...I…" and shook his head.

"I know Harry, I know," Arthur said. Arthur shuffled around Harry to walk to Draco, offering his hand.

"Hello, Draco, you came with Harry and Hermione?" he asked shaking Draco's hand.

"Hello Mr. Weasley, I bring the deepest condolences from the Malfoy family and a gift for Mrs. Weasley from my mother," Draco said bowing slightly and quickly.

"Yes, well, thank you, my boy. Molly?" he said looking over at Molly. "Draco has a gift for you."

Molly stood up and came over to Draco.

"Mrs. Weasley, as the official representative of the Malfoy family, I am here to offer our sincere and deepest condolences and also a gift from my mother," Draco bowed deeply. Rising, he took both of Molly's hands into his and turned them over to place the velvet bag onto her palms.

"To a mother who has lost a son from a mother who is grateful to still have a son," Draco repeated and bowed his head quickly to Molly, moving his hands away slowly.

"I'm telling you, he's not here to cause trouble," Hermione was whispering as she and Ginny walked slowly into the kitchen and stopped. All of the occupants of the room turned to watch the girls' entrance to the room. "Please continue," prompted Hermione, "We are sorry to interrupt."

Turning back to the bundle she held, Molly's hands started to tremble. Draco was using the formal manners of wizard society; Molly knew that whatever was in this bag was very significant. She was too nervous to open the bag.

Turning to Charlie who was standing next to her she asked, "Please Charlie, my hands are shaking too badly, would you open this for me?"

Charlie reached to pull the little golden cord wrapped around the top of the bag and opened it. Looking to Harry for confirmation, at his nod, he opened the bag widely showing the knife inside.

Everyone looked to Draco questioningly.

"It's our relic. Mum sent it for the service," hearing the small gasps around the room, he continued, "She overheard a conversation last year and knew that you no longer had yours, it is our hope that this lends reverence to your service and you find comfort in it."

"Draco, I don't know what to say, thank you so much," Molly said, a tear falling down her cheek. "This is such a touching thing for your mother to do, we will be sure to return it to your family immediately after the service…"

"Mrs. Weasley," Draco interrupted. "You misunderstood. This is a gift to you and your family. Harry and Wease...Ron saved my life twice during the battle, and this is something my mother wanted to give you to show her appreciation,"

Draco almost called Ron "Weasel" during a formal ceremony and all of his years of training were threatening to close his throat at his blunder. His father, if he would have heard that slip, would have punished him severely for messing up a formal speech. His ears were burning and he could feel a flush creeping up his neck at his embarrassment. Fighting the urge to revert to his normal snarky self when he felt uncomfortable, it was all he could do to continue to speak like a gentleman.

"We acknowledge…" He stopped, took a deep breath, and breaking from the formal speech, he continued; "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the years of grief I have caused Harry who is like a son to you, and Hermione who is like a daughter. I'm sorry for the years of grief I gave all of you. I was a child. Then later, I continued to act like a child, and a bully," Draco hung his head briefly and then raised his head proudly. He moved his head slowly around the room to look each and every person there in the eye.

"I am tired of fighting. I am tired of war. I, we, none of us have had a normal life, but Voldemort is dead. Living with Harry, I have had a chance to see what a normal family is like, and I hope to find one of my own someday. I aspire to become a man my mother can be proud of, and I will use the men in your family as an example to live by."

"Please accept this gift, and honor a great man with all the reverence he deserves."

The silence in the kitchen was deafening as everyone looked from Draco to the others in the room. No one knew what to say next. A few sniffles and cleared throats were heard, but no one said anything.

Trix levitated a giant platter of bacon and sausages to the center of the table followed by seven large stacks of pancakes and a pitcher of orange juice, and broke the uncomfortable silence. "Breakfast times Weasleys," Trix squeaked, "Master Draco, you is having breakfast here too? Trix made the Master's Harry and Draco's favoritest syrup with the blue berries."

"No, I uh…I just came to give the gift, I can't stay, I have…"

"Nonsense," Molly interrupted, handing the knife to Arthur, she took Draco's hand and led him to a chair at the table, "of course you are staying for breakfast. In times of grief we need all our friends and family around us," she patted Draco on the shoulder sitting him in a chair, then pulled Hermione to sit next to him.

Draco leaned over to speak to Hermione, "I really have a lot to do today, I don't have time for breakfast, what if Weasley shows up? I am not here to cause any trouble."

"Shhhh. Just be quiet and eat quickly if you are in a hurry, but don't talk about leaving again, Molly wants you here and that is that." Hermione patted his hand.

Draco nodded and looked across the table to see Ginny seated next to Harry and Charlie. She nodded at him and he nodded back.

"Was no one going to wake us for breakfast," said a ginger headed twin who came into the kitchen and slid into the seat next to Hermione.

Draco was busy looking down the table at George and was startled when Fred said, "Morning," from the seat next to him. He jumped and knocked over his glass of orange juice.

The laughter from around the table took Draco by surprise. Wasn't this a somber occasion? How could they laugh at a time like this? "Excuse me Mister Weasley sir, but Trix needs to gets to the table to clean up Master Malfoy's juices," Trix said squeezing in between Fred and Draco to wipe up the sticky mess.

"Hey Fred," Harry said. "George," Harry nodded to George, I didn't know you two were here."

"We stayed the night," said Fred.

"Oi, Mum, when did we get a house elf?" George asked.

"Malfoy brought him," Ginny offered from the other side of the table.

"How'd you know Mum always wanted a house elf?" Fred asked from beside him.

"My mother suggested I send him. I just came this morning to offer my condolences."

"Brilliant, pass me the syrup please," George said, pointing at the small pitcher in the center of the table in front of Draco and Harry.

"That's Draco and Harry's special blueberry syrup, you can't have any," Ginny said in a nasty tone.

"How come he's only been here a morning and he gets special syrup? We've been here all our lives and we've never got special syrup," Fred teased.

Molly swatted Fred on the hand, "Stop it, he's a guest."

"You bring your own elf, you get your own syrup I guess," said George.

"Here you go Fr…er Geo…er Weasley," Draco said as he passed the syrup to George.

"I'm Fred," said George.

There were several sniggers at the table, as George poured some syrup onto a plate Trix had set in front of him and then passed it back.

"Would you like some syrup too George," Draco asked moving the small pitcher to his other side.

There were several more chuckles around the table. Draco's ears were growing warmer.

"I'm Fred," He said. "No thanks, I like maple," he said pouring the other pitcher of syrup over his pancakes, and bacon, and sausage.

"Fred that is disgusting," Harry said.

"Have you ever tried it mate?"

"Well, no."

"Then don't knock it till you've tried it," Fred said stuffing a heaping fork of pancake into his mouth. "I watched you snog your treacle tart for five years and never said a word," he said after he swallowed.

"I didn't snog it," Harry said turning red.

"Snog was a nicer word than what he could have said, mate," George added.

"I'm just saying, Harry, people who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones," Fred added.

Draco turned his head back and forth to follow the conversation and vowed to himself that if he ever had to sit down with the Ginger Duo again, he was sitting on the other side of the table. "Wait, wait, you said _you_ were Fred," he said to George.

"Yes I did,"

Draco turned to Fred, "You said you were Fred."

"I am Fred."

"Boys stop it!" Molly scolded. "Poor Draco doesn't know you are teasing him."

Draco put his fork down and looked disgruntled across the table to Harry, who was laughing with the rest of the family.

"The easiest way to tell them apart is that George is the Holy one," Harry said pointing to George.

"Holy? Are you becoming a Priest?" he asked George.

The laughter around the table continued, even Molly and Arthur were chuckling now.

"George is the one with the hole in the side of his head Draco," Hermione said pointing to the missing part of George's ear. "Although I think both of you must have holes in your head, and most of your brains have leaked out, it's the only explanation I can find for your behavior today," she sniffed.

The chuckles subsided after her dressing down.

Draco put his fork down onto the table next to his empty plate, and wiped his mouth with the napkin he had earlier placed in his lap. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, If you'll excuse me, I really have a lot to do today, I'm ordering a mourning suit for Harry to wear to the funeral. Fred, George, I'd like to know the name of your tailor so I can get him something in baby crap green and amormentia purple so he will match the two of you," he said moving his chair away from the table and standing to leave. "Maybe with a hat trimmed with bright orange ostrich feathers to match the Weasley hair too?"

Draco looked one by one at the stunned people sitting around the table and quirked his brow at George who had turned around backwards in his chair.

Ginny snorted and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times then turned back around to stare at the plate in front of her. Fred had a wide grin on his face and was nodding his head up and down in approval. Molly made a hiccupping sound and quickly raised her cup of coffee to her mouth to hide her smile. Arthur outright chuckled, and Harry looked like he was going to have a stroke.

"Touché, Malfoy," George said walking across the floor and offering his hand to Draco. "Well played, you just might fit in her after all," he said shaking the blonde's hand.

"Merlin forbid, Weasley. I don't even know if I want to fit in here just yet," he said releasing George's hand.

"Be sure to let us know when you figure it out then," Fred said.

Draco nodded to him, then said, "Good morning all, Harry, Hermione, I'll see you later at home," he then turned and walked in the direction of the front door.

"I'll see you out!" Ginny cried, rising from her chair to follow Draco from the room.

Ginny reached out a hand to Draco's shoulder to get his attention and to stop him.

"Draco, I would like to…to," she stuttered.

"Don't," Draco interrupted raising his hand to stop her apology. "I actually like our lack of relationship just the way it is. Please don't spoil it."

Ginny glared at him and turned almost as red as her hair.

"Yes, just like that. Feels normal don't you think?" Draco sneered. "Good morning Weaselette." He then continued his way to the front door and walked out, closing the door quietly behind him. Ginny just stood in front of the closed door and fumed. The sound of voices drew her back into the kitchen a bit later, and she sat in Draco's vacated seat.

"All right there Gin?" Harry asked.

"He is such an arse," she hissed.

"Well, yeah, it's Malfoy," George said.

"I hate him," she said to no one staring out the kitchen window behind Harry.

"I think he's just getting interesting," Fred added.

"I think he is a misunderstood young man who just needs a chance," Molly said.

"The man brings her a house elf and the woman wants to give him sainthood," Fred mumbled.

"Yes, well, let's get busy making plans for today and the funeral tomorrow," Arthur said from the head of the table. "Ron and Fleur will be here soon. The rest of the family and the officiant will be here at noon."

The planning continued at the table, and Trix kept himself busy in the kitchen, he had a huge feast to prepare for both today and tomorrow after the funeral and burial at the cemetery. He hopped around the table filling glasses of pumpkin and orange juice between whipping batter and chopping vegetables. He had a large family to serve and take care of again, if only for a little while. Trix was one happy house elf.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N,**

**I accidentally posted a rough draft of chapter 3 originally, so if you are **

**following this, I recommend you go back and re-read the previous chapter,**

**important information was left out of the rough-draft and I think it makes**

**for a better read.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Of course I'm not J. I would have **

**a beta by now if I was.**

Chapter 4

Hermione set her tea cup down on the small metal table in the backyard garden at the Burrow and sat down with a sigh on the small chair next to it. Taking a deep breath, she moved to sit way back on the chair, laid her head back, closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. She moved her hands to her shoulder to rub the knots at her neck, rolling her head in a circle to ease some of the tension there. Opening her eyes she looked out at the peaceful garden and tried to make some sense of the last month.

She was so tired. When were things going to get back to normal? What is normal? Would she like normal? Things haven't been "normal" since she got a letter from Hogwarts on her birthday eight years ago.

There were about eleven months from the time she received her letter and the time she got on the Hogwarts Express for the start of her first term. How excited she had been. How eager to learn. Her parents had received permission from The Ministry for Magic to go to Diagon Alley immediately so that she could acquaint herself with the wizarding world, and acquaint herself she did. She read everything she could get her hands on about Hogwarts and the new world she would be entering. For Christmas that year her parents took her to Olivanders for her wand, so she could start practicing the spells in a little workbook, Practice spells for the Underage Wizard. How delighted she had been when, with a flick of her wrist and a word, little sparks flew from the end of her wand. The day she worked out, without instruction, how to change the color of the sparks simply by adding inflections to the spell, she had been both shocked and encouraged. By February, she was very frustrated by the limits of underage magic and could hardly contain herself to only performing the practice spells from her book. Only the warning on the front of the book explaining serious repercussions for using unapproved underage magic kept her from trying to do more complicated spells.

Eight years later, she'd built her whole life around the wizard world and all the wonders she had learned. Now her instruction time was almost over. Would she stay in the wizard world and find her place in the Ministry, or after finding her parents in Australia, attempt to blend back in to the Muggle world? She hadn't studied any of the things she would need in order to matriculate back and go to University with the muggles her age, but was there a place for her in the wizard world anymore?

Since fourth year, she had envisioned a life married to Ron, having a family with him, and working at the Ministry to improve the lives of magical creatures. This had been her goal. This was her dream. The afternoon and evening after The Battle of Hogwarts was the embodiment of that dream. She and Ron had run up to a bedroom room at Grimmauld place and with Harry's permission, put a silencing spell on the room, proceeding to take advantage of the privacy and peace that had been denied them for the last three years. Most teenagers had years to flirt, realize they liked each other, date, and fight, make up, and experiment sexually.

Sure, Ron and Lavender were together for a while so they experimented a bit. Hermione had even had a little snogging experience with a muggle boy under her belt but time for such was almost nonexistent. There had been so little time between riding the train home from school and spending the rest of her summers at the Burrow and Grimmauld place that finding a muggle boy to kiss seemed like more of a pain in the arse than anything else. The one boy she found to kiss, Greg, had lived next door to Hermione all of their lives. It just seemed natural that when they were home alone during the summer and hung out at each other's houses from time to time they would experiment a little. But Hermione's heart just wasn't in it and to be honest his wasn't either. For the longest time she had thought that there was something really wrong with her that no boy wanted to kiss her.

She and Ron had been getting closer ever since Ron was poisoned in sixth year, after he and Lavender broke up. But as they grew closer and there looked to be a light at the end of the long tunnel, the Horcrux hunt on the run put an end to it. The locket messed with everyone's emotions, and then of course the tight quarters with Harry were…inconvenient to say the least.

She would never regret giving Ron her virginity that afternoon, it really was what they had needed right then. They wanted, no, they needed to feel alive and to touch and be touched, but as soon as they came down from the rush of being together, she realized that there was something missing.

She went to the bathroom for a shower, remembering to grab a contraception potion out of her purse, however when she came back to the bedroom Ron was not there. Putting on trousers and a t-shirt, she went looking for him.

He was in the kitchen with Harry, who spotted her peeking around the doorframe and waved her into the room. The last thing she wanted to do after running arm and arm upstairs with Ron mere hours before was stand in the kitchen with him and their best friend, but she was caught.

She wanted to run back upstairs, slam the door and never come out again. She was horrified that Harry pretty much knew what she has just done with Ron, but, as embarrassed as she was, she was also a Gryffindor. Gryffindor's were brave. She squared her shoulders and walked into the kitchen to take a hot cup of coffee from Harry. He wrapped his empty hand around her waist and pulled her close for a hug.

The mood in the room was subdued as they were all exhausted, but despite this, she was soon relaxed enough to join in the conversation about the Malfoy's trial the day after next. Harry outlined his plans for the trial, and what he wanted to do to help Draco get back on his feet. He wanted to make sure that she and Ron were ok with Draco staying with him for a while. They assured Harry that he had their full support and they would trust that he knew what he was doing.

Things weren't as awkward as it had been in the kitchen with Harry that night as she and Ron lay in bed together and held each other before going to sleep. Ron told her that he loved her and placed a kiss on her temple. She told him that she would always love him too. And she would, she would always love him, just not the way one would love a lover. She knew that her feelings for him would be brotherly, and it really did break her heart.

They went back to the Burrow the next day, and they kissed a very sweet, chaste kiss goodnight at Ginny's bedroom door every night. Ron hinted quite a lot about going back up to "The Bedroom", but fortunately for her, their days were so filled with Death Eater trials, interviews with the Ministry and the press, and trips to see Bill at St. Mungo's, that her pleas of exhaustion were met with little resistance. She knew her time was running out and she would have to tell him the truth soon, but dreaded breaking Ron's heart.

It was really strange how things worked out, because Ron was now bonded to Fleur, Hermione no longer needed to tell him that her feelings for him had changed, and he would never even miss "them" because he would soon be enchanted by his Veela. Win- win right? _Sure for Ron. But what about me? When do I get my win? Do I even dare let my mind wander where it's been leading in the last 24 hours? I can barely believe what I saw in the dining room last night! I can't believe I almost walked into the dining room with them last night! Where were these desires coming from? Can I even trust myself anymore? How will I know? _She closed her eyes and let herself relive moments she had witnessed last evening between Harry and Draco.

"Bloody!"

Hermione jumped out of her day dream to look around to see who had yelled and why.

"Shite!"

She heard from the left side but when she looked over to where she thought the sound had come from all she could see was a tall clump of green grass gently swaying in the breeze.

"Arse!"

She kept looking, and could just barely make out the tip of an orange tail peeking up briefly over the grass before it disappeared.

"Twat!"

Then an evil hissing sound and the orange tip of tail had a full body for a brief second as it jumped into the air then disappeared again.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione hollered, "Leave the gnomes alone!" she picked up a rock and threw it over the top of the grass to hit the shed behind where her cat was crouched. The rock made a loud thunk and startled the cat so that he ran out of the grass to sit between her and the gnomes. He turned his head to give her a disgruntled look and then proceeded to thump his tail slowly and loudly back and forth as he growled at the clump of grass.

"Honestly, why don't you leave the gnomes alone? Don't you have something to terrorize other than gnomes who are totally innocent?" Crookshanks stood up and walked over to Hermione's leg and rubbed up against her tights, leaving a streak of orange hair, he then sauntered off in the general direction of Arthur's shed. Probably to chase the chickens she thought with a smile.

"Who are you talking to Hermione?" said Harry from behind her.

She jumped and spilled some of her tea that she was attempting to drink even though it had grown cold. She put it back down on the table and re-heated it with her wand and a silent spell.

"Sorry," Harry said, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's ok, it was cold anyway, no harm done." She waved her hand in the general direction of the chair opposite of where she sat in an invitation for him to join her.

He moved the chair around the table a bit so that they were roughly facing the same direction and they would be sitting somewhat side by side once he sat down. He had a glass of what looked like firewhiskey that he sipped and then placed on the table beside her tea.

He reached under the table to where her hand was resting on the arm of the chair and gave it a quick squeeze and then a gentle pat before moving his hand back to cup his glass. "How are you holding up?" He asked, not looking at her but at the clump of green grass.

The jolt she felt from Harry's touch unnerved her so much she reached out to take a sip from her tea to give herself a chance to calm her emotions before she could speak, "I'm really ok. I know you are worried, but honestly, I think Fleur will be good for Ron, and I wish them the best," she said with a small smile.

"When I was watching you from inside, you looked so sad sitting out here all alone, I was worried about you," he said turning to look at her.

She continued to stare straight ahead, and not look at the man sitting next to her. "Please Harry believe me, honestly I am really ok. I know that Ron and Fleur will be ecstatic together and once the baby comes they will become a happy family and I really couldn't have wished for anything else," she said.

Harry made a scoffing sound then reached out to take a sip from his glass, he grimaced a bit as he swallowed.

"I was thinking about the last month and all that has happened since we came home from Hogwarts. The trials; the interviews, thank God we don't have to go back to St. Mungo's for a while. I mean I'm not glad that Bill…well you know what I mean, but it was really starting to wear on me, going there every day. The minute we got there people started asking us questions, wanting our autographs, and begging us to pose for pictures with them, have they no shame?" she asked looking over at Harry. "Weren't they there to see family as well? How could they want an autograph when their loved ones were lying in hospital? Where did honor go?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I don't think they really thought about it much. They were just glad to be alive themselves and wanted to be a part of the celebration, or have a reason to celebrate for a while…maybe?" he said. "You know; not think about their problems for a while and feel something positive for a bit," he finished.

"I'm just glad it's over. Everything. Glad to be done with it," she said.

"It's not over, Mione."

"Of course it's over, Harry, Voldemort is dead, he is not coming back this time. Ron is mated and going to become a father so we can finally get back to normal. It's over," she reached to the table and brought her teacup to her lips and took a sip.

Changing the subject, Harry said, "I got an owl from the Ministry just now; they sent your parent's address. Do you think you'll be ready to leave sometime in the next week or two?" Harry was grinning from ear to ear.

"YES!" she shrieked and jumped up and threw herself in Harry's arms almost knocking him backwards in his chair as she jumped in his lap. He stood them up and spun them around and around with his arms wrapped tightly around the squealing girl.

"Oh my God, Harry, yes! I am so ready to go, I miss them so much," she turned her head and kissed his cheek with a loud smack. "I can't wait to give their memories back; I want a hug from my Mum so badly. What do you think the weather in Australia is like this time of year? Should we take a port key or do you think we should take a muggle flight? It's such a long way. Either way we'll need reservations. Oh my God, Harry, I have no money, I can't fly. Oh what am I going to do?" she wailed.

"Slow down, Mione, we'll figure it all out, ok?" Harry rubbed her back in soothing circles, "and you can do research from now till the time we leave so you can know what the weather is like, and what we should pack. It'll all work out. I promise…as to not having any money," Harry looked sheepishly at her and blushed a bit.

"I opened an account for you last summer before I left the Dursley's. Half of my third of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes goes into your Gringotts account, and let me tell you, they did a zip bang business last year; a lot of the things they sell were in high demand. I think every wizard in England purchased some Peruvian Darkness Powder and a set of extendable ears, also their owl-orders in Bruise Remover Paste quadrupled once the Ministry started hauling in people for questioning."

"Harry…I-I can't take that, it's too much…" Hermione said.

"Yes you can. It's what I want. If something had happened to me, you were to get everything anyway, I had made a will as well and you were to inherit," Harry interrupted her before she could say more. "It's one of the accounts Draco was talking about last night. It was meant to be a secret, but I don't think that is necessary anymore," Harry smiled and they sat down in the chairs again.

"Harry James Potter, you will take that gold back immediately, you are to send an owl to the goblins right this minute and tell them to close that vault and put everything in it back in your name! There is absolutely no way I am taking a single galleon from you!" she shouted.

Harry took another sip of his firewhiskey, turned to her and leaned over the arm of his chair very close to the irate witch's ear and said. "It's done, and you need it, I'm not taking it back. Ever."

The soft whisper of Harry's breath against Hermione's ear sent a shiver down her spine and she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to shake off her sudden desire. She shoved it to a back corner of her mind, resolving to take those feelings out at another time.

"I'll donate it all. Every bit of it will go to the Death Eaters defense fund, I swear it will," she hissed back.

Harry laughed and pecked a kiss on Hermione's nose, "You will not. You might donate it, but you bloody well won't donate it to the Death Eaters. You might give it to an expedition to find Wracksuprts, but never to the Death Eaters. And it doesn't matter, I have plenty of money, if you empty the vault I'll just refill it, or make arrangements with all the shops to send your bills to me. It is my gold and I'll damn well do what I want with it."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she stared nose to nose with her best friend. The sight of those intense green eyes so close to hers left her speechless. She opened her mouth to complain but found she couldn't speak. She leaned back in her chair and turned to take a sip of her once again cold tea.

"Damn," she whispered and hit the tea again with her wand to heat it back up. She cleared her throat and looked at the clump of grass again.

"Give it to Ron and Fleur, Harry. They are going to need it more than I will. They are starting a family and could use it."

Harry shook his head at her. "I decided last night what I want to do for them, and after I've talked to Draco and he has told me how to go about it, I'll let you know what it is. It's a surprise. Please, Mione, let me do this for you. You have given me so much more than money all these years, don't you see that? It is the least I can do to make sure that you are taken care of. You're my family."

She sipped her tea and stared straight ahead as tears ran down her cheeks. After what seemed like hours she finally nodded slowly. "Ok, but only a little, ok?"

"Brilliant!" he said with a nod and a smile.

"I mean it, Harry, just a little until we find my parents and then I'll move back in with them when they come back to England. Then I can make arrangements to pay you back."

Harry smiled at the stubborn witch's proud profile and said, "Ok, whatever you want."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while just staring at the peaceful sway of the grass in the breeze. There was a faint cluck of chickens in the distance and a muffled "Fuck" from the left.

The two stifled laughs for as long as they could until the laughter burst out of them like a collapsing dam. They laughed till tears ran down their cheeks and they clutched their stomachs from pain.

"Fred and George ought to be horse whipped for teaching the garden gnomes to curse," Hermione gasped out when she could finally speak. "If that is not some form of magical creature abuse, I don't know what is!"

"Dunno, Mione, is it really abuse? I mean, I think they are having a blast with it," Harry replied.

"Well, it's abusing my ears at least." Then she broke out in giggles again.

"I heard the twins tell Charlie that they were going to teach'em naughty limericks next," Harry snorted.

"Oh please stop, Harry, laughing is so inappropriate right now," she sniffed whilst wiping her eyes with her hands. Harry dug into his trouser pocket and handed her a handkerchief to use on her eyes instead. She dabbed at her eyes with the cloth, and then folded it to hand back to him. As she was handing it back to him, she noticed the embroidered Slytherin crest on the corner and raised her eyebrow in a meaningful look at him.

"It's Draco's," he said, pocketing the cloth. "He put it in my pocket while he was dressing me this morning."

There was a loud whoop from behind them and they turned around to gape at the twins high fiving each other. They were elbowing one another and waggling their eyebrows at Harry.

"You owe me 10 Galleons, Fred."

"Maybe not," Fred said. "Oi, Harry! Did he hold the trousers as he dressed you, or…"

"Doesn't matter," hollered George, "I said Malfoy would have hands on Harry's trousers inside of a month, and obviously he did."

"No, you said a month, and it's now June 3, so you lose and owe me 10 Galleons."

"Harry! Help me out here, it is of vital importance as you can see. Did Malfoy have your trousers this morning or not?" George asked with a leer.

Harry blushed so red his cheeks hurt and he started stammering. "I…I…He…we…"

"Oh would you two stop it!" Hermione reprimanded. "Draco was helping him find something appropriate to wear this morning; he didn't take Harry's trousers off."

"We call it as we see it," George started.

"He said 'as Malfoy was dressing him'," Fred continued.

"Now did he,"

"Or did he not,"

"Have your trousers,"

"In his hands this morning?"

"And I said inside a month, and as Malfoy moved in with Harry May 4th, if he had the trousers, I win," George said pushing his finger into Fred's chest.

Harry finally found his voice and screamed, "Shut it!"

George and Fred quit bickering and smiled at Harry blinking their eyes innocently.

"He pulled my trousers out of my wardrobe this morning, and laid them on my bed for _me_ to pick up with my own two hands and put on my own body. I buttoned my own shirt and put my own belt on and buckled it all by myself. Does that satisfy you two?" Harry growled with clenched teeth.

"That's not your shirt," George said moving closer to Harry and examining his collar.

"You said you buttoned,"

"Your own shirt,"

"That is a Malfoy shirt or I'll eat mine," finished Fred.

"I buttoned this shirt with my own two hands!" Harry shouted at the two grinning gargoyles.

Hermione put her hand on Harry's shoulder and turned him around to face her, she looked at the shirt he had on and looked closely at the black embroidery. "Hmm…yes, this is Draco's shirt, I saw him wear it once to Hogsmead."

Harry shot Hermione a look of total bewilderment, opening and closing his mouth multiple times in an attempt to find something, _anything,_ to say to get out of this conversation.

Harry blew up, throwing his hands into the air he swung around to holler at the twins, "It doesn't Fucking matter whose shirt it is, and I put it on all by myself! Yes, George, Malfoy had my trousers in his hands this morning! Are you _happy now_?" he was panting by this time turning even redder than before.

"Yes!" George shouted as he jumped in the air, and turned with his hand out to Fred. "Pay up."

Fred dug into his pocket for the required payment and handed it over to his brother with a sigh, "You couldn't hold out just a little longer, Harry? I was counting on you."

"What in Merlin's name is going on out here?" Ron said coming out the back door of the house. "Don't you recognize how serious today is? Mum is in there crying her eyes out and we hear you lot out here shouting! I expected better of you."

Hermione grabbed hold of Harry's arm in an attempt to keep him in place, afraid he would wallop the twins. "It's not Harry's fault, Ron, they were taunting him," pointing an accusing finger at the twins.

"I won the bet, Ron!" George hollered.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Ron wailed. "I had August!"

"WHAT! WHA…YOU! What is the fucking fascination with my clothes all of a sudden?" He shook off Hermione's grip on his arm, aimed his wand and shot a jelly legs jinx at the three grinning red-headed buffoons. They fell to the ground laughing and rolling around like idiots. Harry then stomped down the pathway, up the steps of the porch and slammed the door loudly, disappearing inside.

Ron finally stopped laughing and wiped his tearstained eyes on the back of his shirt. "Bloody Hell."

"Ronald Weasley! Is that all you can say? Your best friend just left here in humiliation, and all you can say is Bloody Hell?" Hermione yelled. She was so mad she was shaking. "Taking bets on something like this is just so horrible! Who even cares whether or not Malfoy had his hands on Harry's trousers!"

Ron stopped trying to stand up and froze in place. "Trousers?" he squeaked. "Malfoy took off Harry's trousers! What are you talking about? I bet George an hour ago that Harry wouldn't work up the courage to finally kiss you until August! TROUSERS? Fucking Hell!"

Hermione stomped over to Ron and pushed him in the shoulder so hard that he fell back flat again. She stood over him shaking her finger at him and shouted. "How dare you take bets on me, Ronald Bilius Weasley? And I cannot believe you would make a bet today of all days!"

"Come on, Hermione," Fred pled. "Really, Bill would have appreciated this, he really would have. He had August on the Malfoy bet. Why I bet he is up there laughing his arse off as we speak."

"Fred, much as I'd like to take that bet, I know for a fact Bill would find this hilarious, I don't think you are going to get any takers for this one," George moved one arm in front of his stomach and the other around his back attempting a sitting down bow of concession to Fred.

"You three are such total idiots!" The irate witch followed Harry's path and slammed through the back door.

"August, Ron? Really? I give it a week." Fred told the redheaded young man trying to pick himself up out of the dirt.

"Trousers? Harry and…Malfoy?" Ron asked bewildered. "Kill me now."

"Nah, we just figured it would only take so long before Malfoy took Harry's wardrobe in hand and tried to throw his trousers away, the bet was just worded that _Malfoy would have Harry's trousers inside a month_. We didn't mean for the poor boy to get so worked up over it. Thought The Chosen One was made of sterner stuff than that," George said.

"It does seem like he got worked up quite quick about that, didn't it?" Fred asked.

Ron was finally able to get to his feet and walked over to the little table to pick up Harry's glass and drained it in one swallow. "Bloody Hell!" he grimaced with a shiver and a shake as the fiery liquid ran down his gullet. "I've given up trying to figure him out," he said picking up Hermione's tea cup and then draining that as well. "Ugh, cold tea."

"Merlin, Ron, will you eat just anything?" George smirked.

"Only you didn't even sniff them to see what was in them…"

"Before you drained them," George finished

"Fuck off, I think I've got enough reason to drink if I want to," Ron said, pocketing the glass and cup, and started walking toward the house. "I'm celebrating and mourning at the same time."

"Don't get me wrong," he said turning around and walking backwards to face his following brothers. "I've got this lump inside my throat pulling at me and heating up every time I look at Fleur or think about her and the baby, making me feel like the luckiest bloke alive, then at the same time, I remember that the only reason I'm feelin' like this is that Bill is dead, ya know?" he turned back around to walk forward again.

He stopped and turned around again to look at his brothers. "I've got a baby coming!" he said putting his head in his hands. "Yesterday morning I woke up and the first thing I thought about was whether or not I could convince Mione to go up to a bedroom at Harry's house with me for an hour or two, and the next day, Bill's dead, I'm mated to Fleur and I'm going to be a father! I think if I want a drink I damn well deserve one!"

George stepped up to Ron and put an arm up and around his shoulder. "Calm down, Ickle Ronniekins, we didn't say you couldn't drink…"

"Just take a minute and sniff it first," finished Fred with a chuckle, "always sniff it, before you put something in your mouth."

"Another golden rule to put in the Weasley Twin Rule Book, Freddie," George said, turning Ron back around to walk in the direction of the Burrow.

"You are writing a book?" Ron asked.

"Have been for quite some time now…" Fred started.

"Haven't put much in it in the last year, but now that Old Voldy is gone…"

"We can get back to our very important writing. We are going to publish it, and put it in the window of the store we are opening up in Hogsmead at Christmas."

"We are going to make a bundle off the Hogwarts students next year!" George said.

"Hogwarts!" Ron cried. "How am I going to get my N.E.W.T.'s now? I need them to be an Auror! How can I go to school and take care of Fleur? Bloody Fucking Hell! D'ya think they have a dorm for a bloke with a wife? I can't support a wife and a baby if I don't finish school! We are all going to go back to Hogwarts for our final year so Harry and I can finish up our schooling. Hermione has it all planned out, even got Malfoy to agree to lead the study group for potions." Ron suddenly sat down on the first step on the back porch and started babbling, mostly incoherently. "Can't play Quidditch with a baby…the dorm beds are too small for a wife…Finnegan is not sharing a dorm room with me and Fleur…The Slitherins' better not even look at my baby."

Fred and George looked down on their hysterical little brother at a loss for words. This was one of the few times in their lives they really didn't have anything funny to say. A light suddenly went off in Fred's head and he knew how to make it all better. "Buck up, Ron. You know Hermione has already figured it all out. She always has a plan for everything, and I'm sure she spent the night figuring everything out."

"And Harry will use his Saviour of the World status to make sure that what she comes up with will be done," finished George. And then he added, "Don't worry about the Slytherins, Malfoy has been showing Gryffindor tendencies lately, and I don't think he'll let them hurt our nephew."

"You think it's a boy?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Better be," answered Fred. "What d'ya think'll happen if it's a girl and some bloke comes sniffing around our niece? Ron snarled his lip and narrowed his eyes at Fred's words.

"Besides, no bloke would have enough courage to get past the Wall of Weasley War Heroes, not to mention Uncle Chosen One, to date her. We'll have to send her to the muggle's to be a nun," George teased.

"Very funny," Ron moaned. "Merlin, I am so buggered. What am I gonna do?" he squeaked again folding his arms on his knees and burying his head in them. All was silent for a few minutes as they all took the time to contemplate their circumstances.

They all turned their heads as the back door opened, and Charlie and Percy came outside. Charlie had five small glasses on a tray and motioned for all of his brothers to take one. "It's time to raise a glass to the eldest, Gents." He dropped the tray over into the grass after each of them took a glass.

Charlie cleared his throat and looked around the tight circle that the brothers had formed. "I propose a toast to the best big brother in the world," His voice had a slight waver.

" To Bill, who took the blame when Dad's shed burnt down eight years ago, he never did tell anyone that it was me with Dad's pipe." He quirked a brow and shrugged a shoulder. "To Bill, who knew about my bedroom proclivities, practically before I did, and it never made a damn bit of difference to him. To Bill, who knew what I was up to in my room with Daniel Wood, and distracted Mum at the bottom of the stairs so she wouldn't catch us shagging in my bedroom."

"Daniel Wood? Wow, how'd you let that one get away?" Fred asked in surprise.

"I was just an experiment to him. And let me tell you, the experiments were vast in quantity and quality," He smiled fondly. "That is until his father demanded that he marry and produce an heir, his stag night was our final hurrah. The next day I stood next to him as he married Gwendolyn Conroy, what a sad day," he finished with a sad shake of his head.

"Gentlemen, we digress," Percy admonished. "This is for Bill."

"Too right, Perce," Charlie's face got serious again and he continued his toast.

"To Bill, who put Geoffrey Flint in St. Mungo's for me, no questions asked," he looked at each of his brother's with a raised eyebrow and a stern expression, "and no questions from any of you lot either, it's enough that it needed doing, and Bill did it. You were the best big brother in the world, and I don't know what I'm going to do without you, brother." He raised his glass and held it aloft, looking to Percy.

Percy nervously raised his glass and said, "To Bill, you helped me find the exact happy memory for my patronus when it looked like I'd never be able to cast one. To Bill, you…," he drew a halting hiccup of a breath. "You sent me howler after howler in the past three years to get my head out of my arse to see what you all knew about Vold…Voldemort and The Ministry. And when I still didn't come around, you turned up last month at my flat and threatened to beat the fucking shite out of me unless I had an attitude adjustment and quit hurting Mum and Dad. I'm so glad you never gave up on me, brother," He smiled nervously and lopsided. "To Bill, you went to Knockturn Alley and got me the book on cunnilingus, when, no matter how many times you explained it to me, I thought it was gross and there was no way I was doing _that_ to Penny," he took a deep breath and blushed to the roots of his hair and it looked like his ears were glowing.

"Er…? Cunnilingus?" Ron asked.

"Eating pussy," the twins said in unison, choking back laughs.

"Well, why didn't he just say that then?" Ron asked, returning his attention to Percy, and nodded for him to continue.

"Cause he's still a prat," Fred said as George knocked Percy upside the head in a playful swat.

"Um, yeah, so Bill, thank you. I'll always remember you and the encouragement you gave me through the years, and never giving up on me, even when everyone else did," he held his hand up and waited for his brothers to continue the toast.

"Right, our turn," George started. "To Our Bill. You were Prefect and Head Boy, and you got 12 O.W.L.S. You set the bar so high that Mum and Dad will never forgive us for not living up to your exalted reputation of excellence," Fred and George clinked glasses. "Cheers."

"To Bill," Fred said. "Who saved our arses from that Sphinx we weren't supposed to follow but did. Thank you, Bill, for the smarts to get those 12 O.W.L.S. and knowing the answer to the riddle that was going to end our existence. Thank Merlin for your exalted intelligence," Fred and George clinked glasses again. "Cheers."

There were quiet laughs around the circle.

"To Bill," George said, "with your first paycheck, you gave us the best Christmas presents a young bloke could ever get, our first broom sticks, and when you were home, you ran interference with Mum and Dad when we were out flying when we should have been doing chores or minding Ickle Ronniekins and Ginny." Ron had to roll his eyes at this. The twins clinked glasses once again and chorused, "Cheers."

Fred's face got very serious. "To our Beloved Bill, you saw that curse heading for me, and ran in front of the flash, and saved my life." Tears were now streaming down Fred's face. "You scoffed every time I thanked you this last month, which was every day, and made me promise in lieu of payment that I would amount to something, and make Mum and Dad proud. I promise Bill." He sniffed as he and George clinked their glasses.

"You saved two lives, Bill, because I know for a fact that if Fred had died, so would I. I also promise that we will make Mum and Dad proud. I also swear that there will be another William Arthur Weasley when I have a son." He also had tears running down his face. They clinked glasses loudly. "Cheers, brother."

The silence after the last clink was only broken by a few soft sniffles and the sound of chickens clucking in the yard. Ron wasn't sure if it was his turn or not and so was scuffing the toe of his shoe on the path paver trying to think of something to say that was as important as what Fred and George had just said. When he was about to start, Fred cleared his throat to speak one more time.

"And lastly, to Bill, who passed Percy's book on to us in 4th year, and coached us on what to do with a bad girl," Fred said grinning.

"And what to do with a good girl," George continued also smiling.

They finished together as expected, "and how to know the difference! Cheers big brother." Their glasses remained raised along with Charlie and Percy's, as they all looked to Ron.

Ron took several deep breaths squared his shoulders and stood up straight, then raised his glass high. "Right then. To my big brother Bill, who offered me that book, but I didn't need it because I shared a dorm room with Seamus Finnigan. No one who shared a dorm with him would ever need a book for anything to do with catching a bird. But Bill did teach me a…er…very nice lubrication charm that comes in quite handy at certain times." Ron was now very red faced. "To Bill, who talked me into trying out for keeper instead of chaser, he really knew what he was talking about." Ron paused and wiped his bleary eyes on his sleeve. He blushed red again and nodded his head as if talking himself into continuing. "To Bill, who let me stay at Shell Cottage last year when I left Harry and Hermione and was being a twat, he never told anyone that I had run out on them when they needed me. I was so embarrassed. He let me stay and work out my problems and figure out a way to get back to them."

Ron sheepishly looked at his brothers who tried to hide their expressions of shock at hearing such news. "I did it. I left them out there in the cold in a tent in the middle of nowhere. I don't know why, but they forgave me and welcomed me back. I'm only telling you lot because we are honoring Bill, and I think his loyalty is an important brother quality." They all nodded at Ron and waited patiently for their little brother to soldier on. They knew he had a lot to say and wanted to give him all the time he needed to finish.

"To my big brother Bill, I am now responsible for your wife and baby. By magic, they are now mine, and I promise…no, I _vow_ to you that I will take the best care of them. I am young, I am scared, and right now I don't have any idea whatsoever how I am going to provide for them, but I swear to you that I will. I will keep them safe and love them. I…I already do, I think…It's really a strange feeling, but I know you know how it feels because you were bonded to her too, and you understand. I know I'm making a mess of this, but I swear it Bill. I swear they'll be ok."

The brothers watched with gentle smiles of understanding as their little brother worked out growing up and becoming a man. Charlie and Percy were very proud of him; Fred was surprised he knew the word _whatsoever_ and decided that it must be Hermione's influence. George was working out whether or not a vow whilst toasting a dead man was magically binding, and if it wasn't could he make Ron believe it was at a later date.

"To Bill, every day I wake up I'll remember you and everything you've taught us." He raised his glass that had lowered a bit whilst he talked, and stepped into the circle of brothers, who joined him to make an even tighter circle. The five glasses clinked together.

"To Bill," they all chorused, and then put the glasses to their lips and downed the fiery spirits. The five young men one by one moved their arms around the brothers on either side and bowed their heads, all the heads touching in the center. They stayed in their hug, all openly crying for their lost brother.

Someone sniffling alerted them that they were no longer alone and they all looked toward the sound. Ginny sat on the top step of the porch with her arms wrapped tightly around herself rocking back and forth, a look of heart breaking anguish on her face. She had somehow snuck outside without any of them hearing her and by the look of the tear tracks running down her cheeks, she had been on that porch for some time, crying silent tears, giving her brothers some privacy for their toast. Fred and George parted their arms opening a spot for Ginny to step into. "Come on, Luv," Charlie coaxed.

Ginny ran down the steps and into the embrace of her brothers. She started on the outside between Fred and George, but then Ron reached through the circle and grabbed her waist pulling her into his chest. The rest joined ranks and they all met in the middle and crushed the trembling girl in the middle, the circle becoming even tighter as they grieved.

"I can't breathe, you are all smothering me," Ginny said, pushing against Ron's barrel chest.

"You can breathe later; right now you need to be held," Fred rumbled in her ear.

"You need to be held really tight so you'll feel better," agreed George.

"We are going to have to let go sometime," Ron whispered, "she'll need to eat sooner or later."

"She'll need to eat? Or you will?" inquired Percy.

Charlie eased his hold first and moved away, he moved her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. "Do you have anything you want to say?"

She nodded and wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms. "First I'd like to say that you are all the best brothers a girl could ever have, even you Ron," she said tickling him with a quick poke in the gullet.

"Ooff, stop that!" Ron admonished.

"I like to think that you are great brothers because Bill showed you how. Bill spent a whole day teaching me how to tie my shoes. Both the regular way and with a charm," She added, "When I was 2, I tripped at the top of the stairs, and he caught me at the bottom, he spent that whole day teaching me, so that I wouldn't fall again. He also taught me the Bat-Bogey Hex, one of the best hex's I have ever seen."

"Thanks a lot, Bill," George said with a chuckle and a flinch.

"I always wondered where you learned that one," Fred laughed, "it was brilliant!"

"You deserved it, you know you did," Ginny said pushing him backwards a bit.

"He also helped me to get over Harry," she said sadly. "He made me see that I didn't really 'love' Harry, I loved the idea of Harry Potter. Bill made me realize that Harry deserved to have someone love him for _who_ he is, not _what_ he is. He went with me to Harry's house right after the battle and held my hand as I told Harry about my true feelings. Harry confessed then that his feelings for me had turned more to how he would feel for a sister than a girlfriend, so I'm really glad Bill made me see the truth before I got hurt. I don't know how he knew how I felt, but he did."

"I did wonder what exactly happened between you two," Ron interjected. "Neither of you seemed too upset that you didn't get back together. I wanted to ask, but Hermione told me to leave it be."

"Well, now you all know. Harry and I are both ok, and we have Bill to thank for that. He was eleven years older than me, but it's like we were connected in the soul, like you two," she said waving at Fred and George as started to cry again.

The six of them hugged again taking and giving each other comfort. They rocked back and forth for quite some time, some sniffles turned into little laughs as they whispered family memories and secret 'Bill' stories. To an outsider, the Weasley's seemed like an odd bunch, laughing at inappropriate times, making jokes out of serious matters, but if you knew them, you would know that not only were they quick to laugh, they were fiercely loyal to one another and loved each other in a way that someone who didn't come from a large family wouldn't understand. The mourning ceremony earlier that day was as solemn as they come, but keeping with Weasley tradition, the laughs later were as quick to come as the tears.

Finally, Charlie pulled away from the group and said, "we need to go back inside and let Mum fuss over us for a while, and if Gin needs to be held again, we can meet back here after dinner. Deal?"

"Deal," the rest of them replied in unison.

They all slowly broke away. Ron pocketed his glass which chinked with the other ones in his pocket. The others pocketed their glasses as well. Charlie then bent to pick up the tray he had dropped earlier, using it to swat Ginny on the backside as she walked up the stairs. She chuckled, shooed him away from her back side and as she walked into the back door said "I love you guys."

**A/N**

**Hi guys, I just want to thank you for giving my story a chance. I once swore that **

**I would never ask this of you, but I'd really appreciate some reviews.**

**I originally started writing because I had a plot bunny in my head that just wouldn't go away,**

**So I was just writing for me, but 4 chapters in, I need to know what you think.**

**So please leave me a review, let me know what you think.**

**I truly feel that hearing what people think, good and bad, makes for a better writer.**

**Also, 4 chapters in, I am asking if anyone would like to beta this story.**

**I thought I had someone to do it, but her school work is preventing that, so if anyone has the time,**

**and would like to help a girl out, send me a message.**

**Thanks in advance for the reviews. **


	5. Chapter 5

I am not J. , and I never will be.

Chapter 5

Draco Malfoy shut the door to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and made his way down the center aisle taking note of the locations of all the shop attendants and exits. You don't grow up with a Death Eater as a father, and not learn to cover your back and your exit. He walked to the back counter and stood in front of the teenage girl writing with a quill on an invoice. He stood silent for a few minutes while the girl ignored him. Draco cleared his throat and drummed his fingers on the counter impatiently. His mother would not approve of him showing his irritancy. The girl continued writing with one hand and held the forefinger of the other hand up in a _wait a minute_ motion.

"Yes sir, how may I help you today?" The girl asked, putting her quill into a holder.

"I wish to speak to Madam Malkin," Draco said nicely. "I need to order a set of mourning robes."

"Madam Malkin is very busy, I can take your order," the girl said.

"Please call Madam Malkin to the counter, I need to speak to her about my order," Draco repeated again, nicely.

"Sir, Madam is very busy and cannot take the time to help every customer, if you would please just tell me what I can do to help you with your order, I would be pleased to help you," the girl said with a smirk on her face.

Draco was not Lucius and Naricissa Malfoy's son just because he was born to them. He tried, he really did, and he'd tried to be nice. He tried to be just another customer in this store. If he had gone to Twilfitt and Tattings like he would have preferred, he would not be in a position to have to act like a Malfoy now. However, thinking about it, that is just what he was, he was a Malfoy; a Malfoy would not be shown disrespect by an idiot girl no older than he was. Draco raised his chin and looked down his nose at the insipid female in front of him and affected his usual sneer.

"Girl," he said looking down his nose at the girl as if there was a nasty smell coming from the girl in front of him. "I will ask you once more to fetch Madam Malkin immediately to come and talk to me. I would prefer not to have to deal with you and your insipid attitude," he snapped, "Unfortunately, the person I am ordering these robes for has never purchased anything from Twilfitt and Tattings and therefore his measurements are not on file there as they are here."

Draco very calmly laid both of his hands onto the counter in front of him and raised his voice just slightly and continued; "Madam Malkin always serves my family personally, and will not be well pleased once she hears how I have been treated today."

The girl stood up straighter and actually looked closely at Draco, taking in the cleanly manicured hands and the silver serpent ring on his finger. She then looked at the quality of Draco's robes, and realized that these were not the robes of just any wizard off the street. She instantly lowered her eyes in deference and slightly bowed her head. "I'm so sorry sir," she spoke, in recognition, and deference of Draco's status. "Madam Malkin is truly not available at this very moment, but if you will give me the name of the person we will be fitting, I can go and locate the file so that we can have his measurements ready for when Madam gets back from the errand she is running."

"How much longer must I be kept waiting?" Draco had stepped away from the counter and was looking down his nose at the canes on the floor rack beside him toying with them in a bored fashion.

"Madam should have been back five minutes ago sir, so I expect her to walk through the door at any moment, could I please have the name of the person you are ordering robes for?"

Draco turned back to the counter sharply and snapped "Harry Potter," and smirked at the shocked expression on the girl's face, "and I expect them to be delivered by tomorrow morning," Draco smiled.

The girl gasped in shock, "Har…Harry Potter? Truly? _The_ Harry Potter?"

"Yes," Draco answered with a nod and a slight lowering of his eyelids, "_The_ Harry Potter, so if you will just scuttle off and find his file, I can look at the measurements that you currently have and can calculate the adjustments that will need to be made since his last visit."

"Yes sir! Right away sir!" the girl quickly left the counter and disappeared behind a red curtain.

Draco turned his back to the counter and looked around at the rest of the room. He was pleased to see that most of the people were overly engrossed in the racks they were standing in front of and not looking at him, but were surreptitiously glancing in his direction curiously when they thought he wasn't looking. There was only one slightly ragged looking wizard actually looking at him so Draco stared at him in silent challenge. Moments later the wizard lowered his gaze and made a rush for the front door, which had just opened, skirting beside Madam Malkin and disappearing into the crowd out front.

Madam Malkin's eyes did a cursory scan of her store upon entering, and immediately rushed to Draco and curtsied slightly, "Mister Malfoy, how nice to see you again," she inquired. Draco could tell that Madam was trying to hide her surprise at seeing him in her store. "What can we do for you today?"

"Madam, it grieves me to say that I am tasked with the unfortunate duty of securing mourning robes for a…" Draco hesitated for effect "friend." He shook Madam's hand lightly.

Madam Malkin raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Yes?" she prompted in anticipation. There were rumors of course of just who the Malfoy heir was calling friends these days, but nothing had been confirmed. By nature of her business, she heard all kinds of gossip, but could never actually spread any of it. Officially. But she could hint, oh how she could hint. Her esteem would rise were she to have a great secret she could hint at and not share with her friends and business associates, her eyes sparkled with glee awaiting Draco's answer.

Draco smirked at the woman in front of him, enjoying the game they were about to play. There was some pure blood etiquette involved in the exchange between the two of them. It had been almost two years since he had played this particular game with anyone, and he couldn't believe just how much he had missed the tease of this traditional game. He was also not unaware of how close the other patrons of the establishment had come to the two of them, each with their ear cocked to hear the juicy gossip.

"I have come to secure robes for Harry Potter to wear to Bill Weasley's funeral tomorrow, but, if you should happen to have the measurements for Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, I will contract for them as well." he smiled at the gasps, ooh's and ahh's he heard around him.

The utter glee in the face of Madam and the other patrons of the store were just what he'd expected when he started playing this game. He counted to three before most of the store cleared out of patrons as they all rushed to tell everyone they knew that 'yes, it was true, Draco Malfoy was truly ensconced with the Golden Trio,' they all wanted to be the first to tell everyone they knew. Draco figured that the entire wizard population of the British Isles would know within the next three hours what had happened here today. Oh how he wished he could be a fly on the wall at a few of the pubs around town.

"Yes, oh YES of course! I know I have Mister Potter's measurements, and Miss Grangers from a couple of years ago, I don't know about Mister Weasley though, he didn't usually come to me for robes, as I'm sure you know," Madam assured.

"I believe I will be able to give you very accurate measurements on Miss Granger and Mister Weasley if you think you could find enough time to create and deliver three sets of robes to our home by 9am tomorrow?" Draco inquired in challenge.

Madam cocked her head and looked slyly up at the tall thin young man in front of her and did some quick calculations in her head. The opportunity to be able to claim the honor of dressing The Golden Trio was just that, an honor, but could she possibly be up to the challenge of creating three sets of unique robes in less than 24 hours? Had anyone other than Draco Malfoy come in here and claimed to be able to calculate measurements of anyone, let alone three different people, she would have laughed in their face, but this was Draco Malfoy. His sense of style was legend. If he said he could give her accurate measurements to fit someone she hadn't seen in two years, then he could do so. The 'our home' he had mentioned did not escape her attention, and it added an element of intrigue to their game. Oh what fun she would have with this information! She and the Malfoy's did not part of the best of terms, and she was dying to bring back his business and impress him with her design and quality to lure him back to her establishment. Yes, she thought. I can do this!

Draco watched imaginary wheels spinning in her mind and myriad of emotions on the face of the witch in front of him. She was intrigued and challenged. How long had it been since someone actually gave her a challenge? Just how badly did she want his and Harry's business? Part of the game they were playing was also how to drive a hard bargain, and get what you each wanted at the same time. He knew when she decided to do as he asked; he also knew how far he could dicker in the price. This was just too easy. Draco smiled and winked at the witch in front of him.

"You have yourself a deal Mister Malfoy; I will have three sets of robes delivered to your home by 9 am tomorrow morning. Malfoy Manor?" she inquired with a raised brow.

Draco thought quickly in his head, how many people actually knew Harry resided here in London at Grimmauld place? Would Harry want anyone to know his exact address? I think not.

"Actually, deliver them to The Burrow. We will be gathering there before the funeral. I will be adding to the order, and these are for delivery this evening at 5pm, that dark purple set of robes in the window," Draco pointed to the front window, "Sized for Miss Ginevra Weasley, you should have her measurements from last year, they have not changed. Six sets of honor cords, red and silver for the House of Weasley, attach a green griffon clasp if possible." Draco paused for effect and looked intently into Madam Malkin's eyes before he continued

"Lord Black will also require a set of honor cords in his colours and crest if you have it on hand." Draco had to suppress the urge to gloat at Madam's raised eyebrows and slight gasp at calling Harry 'Lord Black'. It had been whispered and reported for over two years that Harry had inherited the title and all it entailed from his godfather, but no one had actually confirmed the gossip. He smiled in triumph at the almost orgasmic look in Madam's eyes at hearing Draco's confirmation.

Taking a deep breath and quirking a brow Draco continued, "Four pair of the self-fitting black kid leather mourning gloves for the ladies, that black hat," Draco pointed to a very smart hat on the mannequin in the window, "size 7 1/8, and this walking stick." He laid the walking stick with the silver lion head he had been toying with earlier onto the counter.

Madam had discreetly motioned for one of her shop girls to take notes when Draco had started placing his order and looked over her half glasses at the girl to see if she had got all of that. The girl nodded in affirmation. Madam nodded her head in approval to the girl as Draco continued.

"Lord Black's robes need to be black linen with an anti-wrinkle charm, I know that velvet is traditional, but as it is supposed to be unseasonably warm tomorrow, we will go with lighter fabrics, Miss Granger's robes are to be this dusky shade of lavender," Draco had picked up a silk swatch and presented it to the shop girl taking the notes. She accepted the swatch with a deep curtsey. "Mister Weasley's robes are to be the traditional business cut in dark grey worsted wool. Anti-wrinkle charm applied of course."

"May I be so bold to ask why business robes instead of mourning robes, Mister Malfoy?" Madam asked.

"Mister Weasley will be needing business attire more than he will need a set of mourning robes. He is recently bonded and expecting a child." Madam's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but she did not ask the question burning in her mind.

"Lord Black and Miss Granger have more of a need for formal wear than Mister Weasley, as they will be expected to take a more public role in the re-building of our society," Draco replied. He was not offended by the innocent question and saw no harm in telling the proprietress the reason for this peculiarity. Draco knew that he and Harry could well afford the dress robes, but knew also that The Weasel would bristle enough about these being purchased at all. He knew he was overstepping and making assumptions where the Weasley's were concerned, but if he just threw this extra order in with Harry's, Draco hoped that they would just accept the gift assuming that it had come from Harry. The Weasel wouldn't want Harry wasting money on dress robes he would hardly ever wear, but might be more accepting of a practical suit. Draco would be paying for today's order however, Hermione had given him family and he intended to take responsibility for them.

The girl who had stepped behind the curtain came to stand beside her employer with three files. She had apparently overheard Draco and Madame talking and returned to the back to pull the other two files. "Madam, I have the measurements for Mister Potter and Miss Granger, I also pulled the file of the Weasley twins, they ordered a set of dress robes for Mister Ronald Weasley two years ago, we used their measurements then to make the robes," she bobbed a curtsey to her employer and Draco nervously.

Madam took the files, and motioned for Draco to follow her to the sitting room in the corner of the store. She clapped her hands quickly and two young women rushed to her side. "Glory, bring us some champagne; Vivienne, some chocolates and strawberries. Quickly!" They curtsied and ran off behind the red curtain. "Please sit down Mister Malfoy. We can talk measurements and you can describe your vision of the robes we are to design."

Draco seated himself in the plush gilded chair Madam had indicated took a glass of chilled champagne from the platter the girl Glory had brought and sat back smugly. "So, Madam Malkin, how much do you want to pay me for the honor of dressing The Golden Trio for the very public funeral of a War Hero? Every eye on the isle will be on the three of them tomorrow, and they will be wearing your creations. Imagine for a minute just how much business this will bring into your establishment," Draco took a sip of his champagne and raised his glass to the sly witch sitting across from him indicating that the ball was now in her court for this parlay.

"Please, Mister Malfoy, won't you call me Bronwyn?" she asked dipping a strawberry into the melted chocolate.

"Of course Bronwyn, shall we start our negotiations?" Draco asked with a great smile, as the best part of the game commenced. Oh Mother, he thought, how you would enjoy this. He made a mental note to save this memory for his mother to view in a pensive as their game began in earnest.

**A/N Just got back from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I know I normally do longer chapters, but if I don't post this shorter chapter, it'll be even longer for an update. **


	6. Chapter 6

**The characters belong to JK Rowling**

**20 purple pens and 13 plot bunnies belong to me.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited this story. It really means a lot to me. 10 points to each of you!**

Chapter 6

The Burrow

Hermione stormed through the back door. Glancing around the kitchen she looked for Harry, she moved throughout the bottom floor in her quest. Still searching, she took the stairs two at a time rushing to look in each bedroom she came to as she climbed upwards. She found him sitting on one of the beds in what used to be Bill and Charlie's room, staring at a blown up picture from fourth year of the Hungarian Horntail and himself in the first challenge of the triwizard tournament. He glanced over his shoulder when the door opened to see who entered then went back to staring at the picture in front of him.

"I've never actually seen any pictures from the tournament. If I didn't know how this challenge had turned out, I'd be really worried about that skinny little kid right there." He nodded to the picture in front of him. "Hermione, what were they thinking letting me compete in that thing?" he asked in a small whisper shaking his head. "I really had no idea what I was doing. I should have been killed at least a dozen times. Do you know how many times you have saved my life?" He turned to the girl who had quietly sat next to him on the bed and took his hand.

"Ron once said we wouldn't have lasted a day without you. He asked me never to tell you that, but he's an arse so who gives a fuck?" He shrugged. "You need to know how great you are, and how wonderful you are, and how much we love you. I mean to tell you every day," he finished leaning over to kiss the girl who sat beside him on the cheek.

"Oh Harry, what they were betting on, it wasn't what you thought." At Harry's scoffing snort she continued, "Really, they bet on how long it would take Draco to take your wardrobe in hand. They knew that your clothes would have Draco just itching to get you into something different. That's all it was, I swear," she finished, moving her body to knock into his playfully at the shoulders.

"Really?" he asked. "That's all?" At Hermione's nod he continued, "Well, it was still inappropriate."

"Yes, but you know Fred and George. If it's any consolation, Bill had some galleons on that bet, too. They said he would have appreciated all of that earlier, and you know what? I think he really would have. They love you like a brother you know, just like you love them."

Hermione bumped her shoulder into Harry's again and realized that they had been kind of swaying back and forth whilst talking, knocking shoulders every now and again. It was really peaceful and comforting to be sitting here with him like this, just… being. Nowhere to run off to, nowhere to have to be right now, no one to have to talk to, no one to have to kill. She pressed her lips tightly together. They just sat side by side together in silence, swaying from side to side, companionably.

Hermione re-played the last year in her head, starting with Bill and Fleur's wedding. She thought of all the things they had done and seen, and all that had happened. It was really sad; all of the people who had died during this war, and all of the destruction, but would she really do anything different?

Would she still obliviate her parents? Would she still go off with the boys in the Horcrux hunt? Would she still have slept with Ron? Yes. She realized. Would she rather not have seen what she saw in the dining room last night? Merlin, no! Was it confusing? Hell, yes! Seeing Harry kissing Draco so passionately was quite a shock, and when he climbed on top of him and they… frotted? Was that the right word? It was the hottest thing she had ever seen.

Still swaying with Harry, she remembered last night.

Hot. It was hot. It made her heart pound and her skin flush and wetness gush between her legs. She took slow, deep, calming breaths, hoping Harry could not see her pulse beating in her chest or hear the pounding of her heart. Those two last night were the sexiest thing she has ever seen.

Using a glamour charm, she had once snuck into an art house theater in London to see a movie which some muggle girls that lived on her street were raving about. It was called Henry and June, and she didn't think there was anything sexier at the time. It was about a ménage à trois in 1930's Paris. It was one man and two women, with lots of nudity and sex. But Harry and Draco fully clothed on the dining room floor kissing and rubbing against each other? No question. That was way sexier.

She and Harry continued to sway on the bed, but a bit more in sync now. Sometime in the past few minutes, Harry had moved his arm around her waist and laid his head down to rest on her shoulder. Her hand had found its way onto his thigh which was pressed up against hers. She closed her eyes, laid her head down a bit and found comfort in the familiar smell of Harry's shampoo and his warm embrace.

Harry didn't realize that he was holding Hermione so closely until he felt her rest her cheek on his head as they swayed together. He was unsure how he came to be holding her so closely, but he knew that it felt natural. It felt so right to hold the woman he loved.

He loved Ron too, and that's why he stepped back in sixth year to give his two best friends time for each other. If he had stayed as close to them as he'd always been, they wouldn't have had the chance to see where their love could lead them. It also gave him a chance to see if there could be anything between him and Ginny. He tried really hard to feel something for her, but his heart just wasn't in it. Perhaps if he didn't love Hermione, he could have turned his brotherly feelings toward Ginny into something else, but he just couldn't.

Watching Ron and Hermione go up to a bedroom in his own house after the final battle had almost killed him. It was too much! Just that morning he had fought a battle with a megalomaniac, died, been resurrected, then ended a bloody horrible war. Heartbroken, he stormed up to the attic, cast a silencing spell with one of the wands in his pocket, and then proceeded to destroy everything he could. He levitated the furniture buried under sheets of cobwebs and dust, flinging them into the walls and into each other causing dirty clouds of dust to rise, thickening the air by the minute. At some point he pocketed the wand and threw things physically until there was nothing left to destroy. Heaving the lamps, trunks, desks, and boxes completely drained him of every ounce of strength he had left. Coughing from the clouds of dust, and sweating from exertion, he'd finally fallen to the floor of the rubble strewn attic and cried.

He cried for his parents. He cried for Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Snape, he cried for Remus and Tonks, and he cried for their poor son Teddy who, like himself, would never know his parents. He cried because he would never be able to tell Hermione how he really felt about her. He cried because, for the rest of his life he would have to see the woman that he loved with his best friend.

He didn't recall how long he lay on that floor; time had no meaning and didn't matter anymore. He closed his eyes and just wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep for days. However, sleep proved elusive and he realized how dirty and gritty he really was. He stunk too. He still had blood in his hair and on his hands. Whose blood, he didn't want to know. He opened his eyes to the blurry room, and almost panicked, until he remembered he'd tossed his glasses on the stairs on his way to the attic earlier.

He got to his hands and knees and panted, trying to find the strength to get to his feet. He had to pull himself together. Ron and Hermione couldn't see him like this. Molly had told them that she expected them all at The Burrow before six that evening. She needed her family under her roof that night and if they didn't show up, she would be blowing up Harry's front door at one minute past to drag them home, so he knew he had to get presentable.

He shuffled to the attic door and closed it behind himself as he left, and then locked it tight. He found his glasses, and then went to the bathroom on the second floor to shower. He leaned against the shower wall and let the hot water stream down his body. The steam he dragged into his lungs mixed with the dust already there and made him cough. He coughed until he gagged, and then he vomited everything in his stomach. He watched the bile swirl down the drain of the shower and tried to remember the last time he had actually eaten anything. There were some sandwiches in the great hall sometime after the battle, but the thought of food then was nauseating. He, like most everyone, had just grabbed a cup of hot tea to have something soothing and wet for his parched lips. Thinking of the tea from earlier got Harry remembering just how hungry he was. He grimaced at the angry growl from his stomach and hurriedly dried off and dressed.

He clomped down the stairs following his nose to the kitchen where Kreacher was removing something that smelled like chocolate from the cooker. The elf croaked, "If Master is done destroying Mistress' things, would he like some tea and biscuits?"

"Thank you Kreacher," Harry said, taking a plate with a steaming biscuit on it from the sad eyed elf, moving to the table and sitting down. He sipped the hot tea that was levitated to him, and then took a bite of the biscuit. He remembered to smile as he chewed the biscuit, it smelled wonderful, but Kreacher would never win a bake off.

Harry was sipping his cup just a few minutes later when Ron came downstairs and joined him at the table. He had done his best to act exactly the same as he ever had, but he knew what had happened, and he knew he would never be the same. He'd lost the chance to have Hermione as his own that afternoon. In one sense his heart had broken, but in the sense that his two best friends had found love he felt great joy. How the hell had his love life done such a cock-up?

But all of that has changed. He was now sitting with his arm around the girl he loved and her hand was gently rubbing the inside of his thigh. _What_? He stopped swaying and moved his head, which caused Hermione to startle and jerk slightly away from him.

Hermione was reliving the scene she'd witnessed last night between the two young men, and was completely unaware that she was rubbing Harry's thigh and pressing harder and harder with each pass. When Harry moved and lifted his head from her chest, she startled and jerked away, "what?" she gasped, looking down at Harry as she licked her lips.

Harry didn't think, he couldn't think. He just reacted. He moved his free hand to caress Hermione's flushed cheek. He moaned looking from the lips she had just licked to her eyes. Her pupils were so large he could barely see the outline of brown he was so familiar with. Draco had told him that eyes like this were from desire. Did she desire him?

Hermione watched Harry move his eyes from her lips to look directly into her eyes. He moved to stand in front of her and leaned down to press his lips to hers. She watched as he lowered his eyelids and his lips closed over hers. Moaning she closed her eyes and felt his arms close around her to embrace her, cuddling around and encasing her in his warmth. He gently lowered her, slowly laying her back onto the bed. He braced himself on his forearms so that his weight didn't press down upon her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to admit the tongue that licked at her lips.

Harry couldn't believe what was happening, he was kissing Hermione! He was so shocked, he almost pulled away to apologize to her. As soon as he started thinking, he found himself turning back into that idiot who couldn't speak to Cho in fourth year. _Brain off, Harry_! He told himself, _do not think, and just feel_. Hermione licked into his mouth and hugged him tighter. _God, yes please_! his heart sang. Turning off his brain and not over thinking what he was doing, he just moved on instinct. He could relax and just let nature take its course. No more thinking.

Hermione felt a brief moment of panic when Harry almost pulled away from her. Her brain screamed _NO_! _Don't stop_! She opened her mouth wider and speared her tongue into his mouth and licked upwards to the roof of his mouth pulling him tighter down to her breasts. One of Harry's arms buckled as she pulled him down to her. She buried one hand in Harry's hair, pulling and massaging, melting even more when he moaned into her mouth at her touch. Every thought she ever had fled when she felt Harry's knee move up onto the bed to press up, nudging between her legs. She spread her legs wider to allow his knee to press higher and harder against what she suddenly realized were her very wet knickers. The only things between Harry's leg and her moist core were a slip of cotton and his dungarees!

When Hermione opened her legs wider, Harry took full advantage and pushed, feeling pure moist heat surround his knee. A mysterious scent that he'd been unconsciously aware of suddenly made sense and his cock, which had been hard since she sat next to him on the bed, jerked toward its goal as his mouth watered. It took every ounce of control he had not to press his body down on the woman he loved.

Hermione opened her eyes to look at the man kneeling over her. He moved his mouth up to kiss one eye closed then moved over to the other side to close the other. He kissed down the side of her cheek, and buried his nose behind her ear inhaling, sending a shiver down her body and making her nipples harden. She arched her head back, giving him more access; he licked and gently sucked at her collar bone. Harry moved his free hand to the vee of her shirt, lightly caressing the hollow in the center of her neck. "Hermione," he whispered softly licking around her ear and moving to tug on her earlobe.

"Harry," she answered with a whisper of her own. She encircled Harry's hips with her legs and arched her back, pushing her breasts up to graze his silk covered chest, grinding herself against his leg. She imagined him pressing his cock between her legs and rubbing himself against her just like she saw him do with Draco last night, "Mmmmmm," she moaned, feeling more moisture release between her legs as Harry licked and nipped his way back to her lips.

Draco…last night, she remembered. Hot. Draco. LAST NIGHT!

_Hermione!_ Something screamed in her brain. _This is not right!_ She un-wrapped her legs from Harry's waist and pushed up against his chest, turning her head toward the door and hearing a slight 'snick' sound.

Harry worshiped Hermione's mouth, licking at her lips. The pounding of his heart all he could feel, not registering that she was pushing against his chest. When her knees quickly knocked at his ribs and she pushed up with her hands again, he pulled back and opened his eyes to look at her. "Are you all right?" he asked her, panting, trying to get his breathing and his body under control. His knee screamed at the sudden coldness when he pulled away from her warm body and flopped to the bed beside her.

Hermione couldn't believe she'd kissed Harry. There was mourning going on just a floor below them, and worst of all, Harry had been kissing Draco Malfoy less than twenty four hours before! What was she thinking? What was he thinking? She just lay on the bed panting, trying to control her breathing and trying to hide her humiliation, her anger at Harry rising with each second. She slowly raised up to a sitting position and glared at the slimy slug who dared kiss her after snogging a MAN just last night.

Harry watched Hermione sit up next to him and if he didn't know better, he could swear she suddenly hated him. He actually moved away from her to the other side of the bed in case she decided to start hitting. He'd seen her punch a bloke, and didn't want to be on the receiving end of her right fist any time soon.

"Hermione, what did I do? I didn't…I didn't…I was…" he stuttered trying to say that he didn't touch her inappropriately, well…his hands didn't. He thought he was actually gentlemanly in not pressing down on her when he was on top of her. "I…I…I," he stammered righting the glasses that had been knocked askew, running a hand through his messy hair, trying to ignore the ache in his balls and get his dick to cooperate and go back down.

Hermione stared at Harry and tried control her ire, she was just so angry right now; but she knew that if she said anything about Draco, she would regret it, once said it couldn't be unsaid. No matter what, she did love Harry. But she'd just lost what she had with Ron, and didn't want to lose Harry too by accusing him of…what exactly? Playing with her affections? Playing with Draco's affections? Experimenting? Maybe this was his way of reacting to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She'd heard of soldiers coming home from battle just fine and succumbing to PTSD later in life. Maybe Harry's way of dealing with his grief was by being promiscuous. Well he could deal with this without experimenting on her! She would go to the Ministry tomorrow and get pamphlets on PTSD's and leave them all over the house. Yes, that is what she would do.

Harry watched Hermione fighting to regain control of her emotions and tried to figure out what had just happened. Thank God Draco hadn't done this to him last night; he'd have had such a case of blue balls today that he didn't think he could function, as it was he was going to have to hurry home for a shower and a wank. _Oh God, Draco_! What was he thinking? He rolled over to his side and curled into a fetal position moaning and covering his head with his arms. _Shit! Shit! Fuck!_ He thought. He'd not had a chance to really talk to Draco about what had happened; he really had no idea what he was thinking last night, or what he was thinking just now with Hermione. He could not, would not hurt her. He would rather die himself before he hurt her. He loved her. _Well if you love her what the fuck were you doing with Draco last night arsehole_? He asked himself, moaning again.

Hermione's academic mind took Harry's moaning to be frustration and pain from achieving an erection and then being rejected, she had no idea of the inner monologue going on in his head. She stood up and moved to walk over to the side of the bed Harry had rolled to. Standing with her hands on her hips, she realized that her skirt was still hiked up to her waist and her knickers were on display. She quickly pulled her skirt down and adjusted it, re-tucking her shirt so that she looked presentable, and pushed her rear onto the bed shoving Harry's legs out of the way so she had room to sit.

Harry uncurled and pushed himself to sit up at the headboard, pulling his knees into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Hermione, I don't know what I was thinking. This is really not the time for this, I don't know what I was thinking," he mumbled again. "I should never have, I…I…I'm sorry," he pled.

"It's ok, Harry, we'll get past this. We can pretend this never happened; I don't want anything to jeopardize our friendship. I love you, Harry; you are like a brother to me, I can't lose you," she sniffed on the verge of tears.

_A fucking brother_? He asked himself. _Oh my God! What have I done? _ He moved quickly to comfort the woman he loved crying on the side of the bed who thought of him as a brother. _Bloody hell!_ He thought, stealing Ron's favorite phrase that somehow really fit this situation.

Ron had shut the bedroom door as quietly as he could after seeing Hermione and Harry on the bed snogging. He stood outside the door for long minutes smiling, thinking about what he had just seen. Harry would take care of Hermione.

His mind has been whirling for the last day, and he sometimes felt so dizzy he was going to puke. Just yesterday morning he had been in love with Hermione and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life married to her and taking care of her. He imagined coming home to her after a long day arresting criminals with Harry; she would have a home cooked meal waiting for him, just like his mother did for his father, and then after supper, she would bring him a pipe and rub his tired feet. He couldn't wait to see her swelling with his babies, he wanted a lot of babies, she would be so beautiful pregnant. He'd imagined them having many years of wedded bliss together.

The minute Fleur had buried her fangs into his neck, every feeling he'd ever had for Hermione had turned to brotherly affection. He still remembered the other feelings he'd had for her, but now he only wanted the best for his wonderful best friend and he'd gladly kill anyone who would ever cause her harm or hurt her, just as he would for Ginny. He had been worried that she would be so lonely and hurt without him. They didn't even break up with each other, never had a final conversation even. He went from loving Hermione and being the most important person in her life, to being mated forever to someone else. That had to have been hard on her, but she was such a strong girl, she had a whole conversation with him and Fleur just an hour ago and didn't shed a tear. _That's my Hermione, so brave._

Today was all about his poor brother Bill, and he really did want to show the proper respect for the brother he would miss terribly. He swore this morning that he would push his happiness way down today so that Bill, the best big brother in the world, would be shown all the proper respect at his mourning ceremony and funeral tomorrow. But now that Hermione and Harry were properly together and his biggest worry was solved, he just didn't know how he could hide his happiness.

His mind latched onto Fleur and he turned to follow the blinding allure of his beautiful mate and their child. He went downstairs and sat on the arm of the chair Fleur was in, completely forgetting the owl in the kitchen waiting for Harry and why he even went upstairs to look for him in the first place.


End file.
